Los Angeles’ job market in June looked like a mixed plate: plenty of health care and a big serving of hospitality, with a small side of job losses. Fresh state and market data show L.A. County added jobs over the past year, even as employers trimmed payrolls slightly last month.
County numbers at a glance
L.A. County tacked on about 35,300 nonfarm jobs over the past year, even though payrolls slipped by roughly 800 positions in June, according to CoStar. The report, drawing on state employment data, also noted that the county’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate eased from mid-May levels to roughly 5.4% in June.
State report shows where hiring came from
The California Employment Development Department’s July update put the statewide unemployment rate at 5.2% for June and spotlighted gains in Private Education & Health Services along with leisure and hospitality, according to California EDD. In the county detail, EDD lists Los Angeles’ not-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate slightly differently, at about 5.3%, a reminder that seasonal adjustments can nudge the headline number up or down.
World Cup and a hospitality bump
Big-ticket sports gave local hospitality a short-term jolt. SoFi Stadium hosted multiple FIFA World Cup matches in June, adding extra strain on hotels, restaurants and event staffing across the metro. The stadium’s match calendar is posted by SoFi Stadium, and analysts had already pegged those high-profile games as a likely hiring boost for the month.
National context
Nationally, payrolls inched up by roughly 57,000 in June, with health care standing out as one of the stronger sectors while leisure and hospitality lagged, according to the BLS. Coverage in the Los Angeles Times noted that the World Cup’s widely expected hiring surge across the U.S. turned out smaller than many had forecast, a national pattern that helps put L.A.’s own mixed numbers in perspective.
For Angelenos, the message is straightforward: health care continues to offer relatively steady openings, while hospitality and entertainment hiring remains more up-and-down. Economists are watching the next EDD monthly release to see whether June’s dip proves to be a temporary blip or the start of a cooler hiring trend.
