Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged over the month at 5.8% in May, from a revised 5.8% in April, according to figures released today by the state Employment Development Department. The 5.8% rate was above the rate of 5.7% a year ago.

Total non-farm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 13,800 jobs between April and May to reach more than 4.61 million.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector showed month-over increases of 900 positions. The government sector posted month-over-month gains of 2,500 jobs.

The May unemployment rate in Orange County was 3.6%, down from a revised 3.7% in April, and up from 3.3% a year ago.

In Orange County, non-farm employment increased by 5,700 jobs to reach 1.69 million. Leisure and hospitality added 2,500 payroll jobs over the month, the most of any sector.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties — the Inland Empire — was 4.8%, down from 4.9% in April, the EDD said.

In Riverside County alone, the jobless rate in May, based on preliminary EDD estimates, was 4.9%, equaling the rate published in April.

According to figures, the May rate was four-tenths of a percentage point higher than the year-ago level, when Riverside County unemployment then stood at 4.5%.

Data showed Cherry Valley had the highest unemployment rate countywide in May at 10.2%, followed by Coachella at 8%, Rancho Mirage at 7.9%, Banning at 6.6% and Hemet at 6.5%.

Bi-county data indicated that payrolls increased by the widest margin last month in the agricultural sector, which added 1,500 positions.

Further Inland Empire gains were recorded in the construction, hospitality, information technology, professional business services and public sectors, which expanded by a total 3,100 jobs, while miscellaneous unclassified industries added another 400, according to figures.

The only sector drop for the Inland Empire identified in May was in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which shed an estimated 400 jobs, according to the EDD.

The financial services, health services, mining and manufacturing sectors were unchanged.

Statewide, California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.3% in May, the same figure as the previous month, and 5.2% a year ago. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.2% in May, the same number as April, and 4.0% a year ago.

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The plant has been a major employer in the area since it opened in 1970. In total, 432 employees were permanently let go from the facility located at 9535 Archibald Avenue, according to state filings. The effective date posted by the state was June 11.

In a statement, the company said, “We are truly grateful for all the support over the last five decades from our Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing team as well as the local community. We are committed to supporting those impacted through this transition and we are offering pay and benefits to impacted employees.”

The Rancho Cucamonga facility is not the only Frito-Lay plant impacted by cuts. Earlier this year, the company shut down a New York plant, resulting in 287 job losses. Another 56 jobs were chopped at a Maryland warehouse.

PepsiCo Foods U.S owns Frito-Lay. In a recent earnings call, PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta said the company was “right-sizing the cost” of its snacks division after disappointing first-quarter numbers.

Some of the snack brands under the Frito-Lay umbrella include Fritos, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Smartfood, Stacy’s, and Tostitos.

It’s not immediately clear whether other Frito-Lay sites will close.

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The e-commerce giant plans to hire more than 2,000 full-time and part-time workers to staff two new facilities in Fontana and Jurupa. The new facilities, called “inbound cross docks,” launched operations earlier this month and are designed to receive cargo and sort merchandise to send to fulfillment centers, which handle customer orders.

Paul Granillo, president and chief executive of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, said in a news release on Tuesday that the infusion of new jobs represented a “significant boost” to the local economy.

Granillo said in an interview that Inland Empire communities depend heavily on logistics jobs, since starting wages are typically higher than minimum wage. And the logistics sector was one of just three in the region that saw job growth in 2024, along with healthcare and government, he said.

“Amazon is probably our largest private employer and is important to the economic vitality of the region,” Granillo said.

The new Amazon jobs offer starting pay of $20.75 per hour and benefits such as healthcare, dental and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match and up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave, according to Amazon spokesperson Carly Levy.

The new positions will be added to Amazon’s website in the coming weeks, she said.

Michael McCarthy, an adjunct professor of environmental analysis at Pitzer College had a less rosy view of the region’s freight and logistics sector. He said tariffs being pursued by the Trump administration don’t bode well for Inland Empire warehousing. And, he said, growth in freighting has slowed in the years since the pandemic boost, with warehouses seeing higher job vacancy rates.

“We are overly dependent on warehousing. Devoting such a large share of our land use to it and not diversifying our economy is a problem,” McCarthy said.

The opening of new facilities comes amid tensions over environmental impacts of industrial development in the region. Developers have pursued properties along Inland Empire freeways, demolishing neighborhoods to make way for industrial facilities to convert the area into a logistics corridor for e-commerce arriving in Southern California ports. Community activists and residents have pushed for limits on this type of development, which they say drives pollution, traffic congestion and other problems.

Last year Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a hotly contested bill that established new standards for building and design of industrial warehouses meant to protect the health of residents in surrounding areas. The legislation, which will go into effect in 2026, faced major opposition from those who saw it as a job killer, putting restraints on economic opportunity and infrastructure development.

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