By Annika Johnson and Manfred Keil
Abstract: On February 25, the Los Angeles Times ran a front-page article titled “Inland Empire Logistics Industry in a Slump: the Area’s Storage and Warehousing Jobs Shrank in 2023, for the first time in 20 Years, Workers are Worried.” While factually correct (employment in logistics fell in 2023), jobs in the logistics industry (transportation, warehousing, wholesale) have increased by 19% since the start of economic recovery in May 2020, including a peak of 27% in March 2022 followed by an adjustment from overshooting. Logistics employment growth continues to be higher in the Inland Empire than the numbers seen in the state or country.
Keywords: San Bernardino County economy, Riverside County economy, Inland Empire economy, California economy, warehousing, logistics, transportation, wholesale, trade