Monthly Labor Market Update

San Bernardino County saw an uptick in jobs and eligible workers in March as the employment market appears to have stabilized heading into spring and summer. Six major job categories – government, education, financial services, manufacturing, mining and information – all were either unchanged or up slightly from the month before as the unemployment rate held steady at 4.5%. Across the Inland Empire, construction lost the most jobs month over month – down 2,300.

Thousands getting a 2nd chance through Expungement/Career Fairs

WDB’s partnership with the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office has helped thousands of formerly incarcerated individuals get a fresh start and the opportunity to make a living. Last month, Public Defender Thomas Sone (right) updated members of WDB’s Special Populations Committee on the success of recent Expungement and Career Fairs across the county. In 2022, nearly 2,900 individuals received assistance through these events.

Individuals who have completed probation on a qualifying offense and have no new cases before the court may petition for a dismissal. In addition, individuals who have served time in state prison on a qualifying offense can seek a Certificate of Rehabilitation. Either/or is an important step toward getting a good job – one of the primary factors in lowering recidivism rates among the formerly incarcerated.

More information on the expungement process is available here.

For information on the next Expungement and Job Fair, being held June 15 at Ontario International Airport, click here.

Message from the Chair

Saving jobs, saving businesses money

William Sterling

WDB Chair

Statistics show that U.S. companies, on average, lose 18% of their workforce to turnover each year. Of those who leave, nearly two-thirds do so voluntarily, at a cost to businesses of more than $1 trillion.

WDB’s Business Services team is here to help, with services and resources to help employers hire and retain staff. Those services range from a free Human Resources Hotline (1-877-282-3763) to customized training programs and On-The-Job Training funds to workshops and on-site assessments.

To find out more, please visit our website or contact any one of our Business Services team members.

And thank you, as always, for the opportunity to serve you.

My first job was as a PBX phone-line operator at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. I knew I wanted to go into healthcare and saw this as an opportunity to start developing relationships. It taught me a lot about teamwork and all of the departments in a hospital. As the operator, you were the center hospital operations, and I learned the value of knowing your colleagues and how things worked together. I worked at the hospital my last year of high school and all through college. It was a 24/7 operation, and I could pick up a lot of shifts to earn money to pay for college. I loved learning every aspect of healthcare and meeting just about every employee. It taught me that to make things work well you needed strong relationships with your co-workers and that everyone needed to work together to have good outcomes. I am so grateful for that experience and all of the healthcare mentors I met along the way. It was foundational for my career trajectory. 

Local employers will participate in several hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) in the coming weeks:

Wednesday, May 17: Victor Valley College Community Job Fair,18422 Bear Valley Road, Victorville. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

Thursday, May 24: Connection Employers Job Fair, Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Drive, Chino. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

Thursday, June 1: East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Drive, Space 508, San Bernardino. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.

Thursday, June 15: Expungement and Job Fair, Ontario International Airport, Terminal 1, 1940 Moore Way, Ontario. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Register here.

WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources available during the pandemic. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.

In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates:

Friday, May 19: California EDD releases its April jobs report.

Wednesday, May 24: “2023 Mid-Year Labor Law Update Webinar,” 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Click here for more information.

Friday, June 2: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its June U.S. jobs report.

Friday, June 16: California EDD releases its May jobs report.

Thursday, June 22: “Top 10 Ways to Stay Out of Court – Employers Webinar,” 10-11:30 a.m. Click here for more information.

Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one on the California Equal Pay Act.

• WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs or activities are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For federal funding disclosure information, visit:  workforce.sbcounty.gov/about/ffd/