unemployment

A person with light-colored hair, wearing a red sweater and a plaid face mask, sits on a couch surrounded by stacks of cardboard boxes. They hold up a printed document with a serious expression, scanning its contents. A folder labeled 'COVID' rests on their lap, and blinds cover the window behind them.

Commentary

California’s aging population will test whether its demography is destiny

By 2040, more than one in five Californians will be 65 or older, while the working age population stays the same and the child population shrinks. Are we ready for that?

By

Dan Walters

• February 14, 2025

A burned Bank of America ATM kiosk showing extensive fire damage. The ATMs are charred and melted, with a metal support beam leaning against them. Surrounding debris, including broken tiles and remnants of the structure, is scattered on the ground. Two potted plants flank the damaged kiosk, partially scorched from the fire.

Commentary

LA wildfires could clobber California economy as state recovers from a pandemic recession

LA County's wildfires add uncertainty to California's already shaky recovery from the pandemic-era recession and higher than average unemployment.

By

Dan Walters

• January 16, 2025

An overhead view of a person with blonde hair sitting in a chair looking at a computer on a desk filled with various papers.

Economy

California’s employment safety net is still broken. Will anyone fix it?

Out-of-work residents fight new fraud battles. The system bleeds money. And a $1 billion technology overhaul marches on.

By

Lauren Hepler

• December 4, 2024

An individual stands outside a building, closely examining notices taped to a glass door. The signs include information in Spanish about unemployment benefits and COVID-19-related service changes. The person carries a white plastic bag and wears a shoulder bag while leaning forward, resting their hands near their chin.

Commentary

Tough love plan could end California’s unemployment insurance stalemate

An auditor's report lists ways to shore up unemployment insurance finances, but state politicians, businesses and unions are at a stalemate.

By

Dan Walters

• December 3, 2024

People sit at a row of cubicles at a job center.

Commentary

Unemployment rate doesn’t tell the full story of California’s unhealthy labor force

California’s official unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 5.3%. That doesn’t sound alarming, unless one dives more deeply into the data.

By

Dan Walters

• October 22, 2024

A poster explains ways to file for unemployment insurance benefits, as job seekers look for work at the JobTrain employment office in Menlo Park. Photo by Paul Sakuma, AP Photo

California Divide

Newsom denies jobless aid to undocumented Californians, after vetoing two other bills to help them

Gov. Newsom again vetoes a bill aiming to let undocumented immigrants get unemployment benefits. He earlier vetoed measures to allow them to apply for homeowner aid, and for undocumented students to work on campus. Political analysts say he’s playing it safe on a hot-button issue.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• September 28, 2024

Prospective employers and job seekers interact during during a job fair in the West Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2021. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo

Commentary

California’s economy lags behind other states, here’s why it’s so sluggish

California's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been sluggish and a new analysis blames poor state policy choices.

By

Dan Walters

• September 3, 2024

Commentary

While Newsom brags about California’s economy, unemployment data tells a different story

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's brags about the state's economy, but its unemployment rate is still the highest in the nation. The fund that pays unemployment insurance benefits also faces an immense deficit.

By

Dan Walters

• August 2, 2024

Nursing students Ashley Jensen, left, and Courtney Houtz practice injection procedures in the clinical skills lab at University of San Francisco in San Francisco on Oct. 9, 2023. Photo by Amir Aziz for CalMatters

Economy

California’s ‘weak’ job market propped up by public money as private sector sheds jobs

Private-sector jobs in California have declined since their post-pandemic peak, while public-sector employment has shown gains, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office says.

By

Levi Sumagaysay

• July 9, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his 2024-25 January budget proposal at the Secretary of State Auditorium in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2025. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

When Newsom gives his State of the State, he should be candid about California’s economy

While much of the nation is enjoying a vigorous economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, California is falling behind with scant job growth.

By

Dan Walters

• March 28, 2024