UCLA California
Employment in the U.S. has been on the upswing over the past few years, but not every region of the country is providing the same opportunities. According to a report from the University of California, Los Angeles, job seekers may have reason to head for the coast. The university found that California is expected to experience faster job gains than most of the country through 2016, expanding 2.2 percent as the nation grows 1.9 percent.
Although California’s unemployment rate was above the national average, at 7.4 percent, as of July 2014, it’s expected to drop in the next couple of years, mostly closing the gap. By 2016, unemployment in the state is predicted to be 5.7 percent, 0.3 percent higher than the average rate for the U.S.
Increased trade with Asia – and other nations, to a lesser extent – is forecasted to provide a major boost for California’s employment. In particular, trade, warehousing and manufacturing exports are expected to provide a wealth of new jobs.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the trade, transportation and utilities sector is already California’s largest employer, according to nearly 3 million jobs in the state.