NextChapter

California jobs and job market: layoffs, colleges and workforce help

California’s unemployment rate is 5.1%. 51,762 open professional jobs are listed here. Employers filed 470 layoff notices in the last 12 months. Choose a county or city for the same picture closer to home.

Independent page. Not from or affiliated with the State of California.

Looking for work in California? See where you stand.

Not sure you match what employers here are hiring for? Get a free read on your fit, the jobs open near you and a plan for the weeks ahead.

Show me jobs near me

California economy

  • 5.1%

    unemployment, Sep 2026

    5.5% the month before

  • 19,477,984

    in the labor force

    Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

  • 39,242,785

    people in California

    Source: U.S. Census Bureau

  • $96,334

    median household income

    Source: Census ACS

  • 43%

    of workers in white-collar occupations

    Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

California outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

  • Private-sector jobs up 0.2% from 2022 to 2025
  • Population down 0.4% from 2020 to 2025
  • Unemployment 5.1%, down 0.5 points from a year ago
  • Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+411,049 jobs), arts & recreation (+42,052 jobs)
  • Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−119,074 jobs), information (−99,253 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in California. Each link goes to the publisher.

Learn and get funded in California

California layoffs

  • 470

    Layoff notices, last 12 months

  • 28,125

    workers named

    A floor: states may leave out counts

  • 202

    employers

Layoff notices filed in California, newest first
Notice dateEmployerCity or countyWorkersTypeSource
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Tulare County77Closure PermanentState record
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Fresno County54Closure PermanentState record
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Kern County19Closure PermanentState record
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Kern County19Closure PermanentState record
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Mono County12Closure PermanentState record
Wright Tree Service of the West, Inc.Takes effect Nov 9, 2026Inyo County9Closure PermanentState record
VCA Corporate Support OfficeTakes effect Sep 1, 2026Los Angeles County36Layoff PermanentState record
Blue Shield of CATakes effect Jan 12, 2027Alameda County13Layoff PermanentState record
Blue Shield of CATakes effect Jan 12, 2027Los Angeles County12Layoff PermanentState record
Blue Shield of CATakes effect Jan 12, 2027El Dorado County7Layoff PermanentState record

All layoff notices in the state

Get an email when a new notice is filed for California

One email a day at most, only when there is something new. No account needed.

Employers hiring most in California

Employers with the most open professional roles on our job board right now.

  1. Anduril Industries1,155 open roles
  2. Amazon997 open roles
  3. SpaceX640 open roles
  4. OpenAI466 open roles
  5. Qualcomm Inc/De386 open roles
  6. Anthropic366 open roles
  7. General Atomics364 open roles
  8. Intuit364 open roles
  9. California State University338 open roles
  10. Northrop Grumman280 open roles
  11. ScrumAID249 open roles
  12. Advanced Micro Devices244 open roles

Largest employers headquartered in California

Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.

Higher education in California

  • 183

    public and private non-profit colleges

    Source: IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education

  • about 2,648,000

    students enrolled

    Estimated from size bands

Largest colleges in California

Largest colleges in California
CollegeCityTypeStudents
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis ObispoPublic 4-year20,000+
California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomonaPublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-FresnoFresnoPublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-FullertonFullertonPublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-Long BeachLong BeachPublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-Los AngelesLos AngelesPublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-NorthridgeNorthridgePublic 4-year20,000+
California State University-SacramentoSacramentoPublic 4-year20,000+
National UniversitySan DiegoPrivate non-profit 4-year20,000+
San Diego State UniversitySan DiegoPublic 4-year20,000+
San Francisco State UniversitySan FranciscoPublic 4-year20,000+
San Jose State UniversitySan JosePublic 4-year20,000+

All 183 California colleges

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving California. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in California? How to file for unemployment in California (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

183 American Job Centers in California

Job fairs and business events in California

Hiring events, career workshops, small-business counseling and startup events from chambers, job centers, workforce boards, colleges and economic-development groups in California.

Conferences in California

Industry conferences and trade shows held in California, the ones worth a trip for hiring managers and job seekers. 265 with dates announced.

  • IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX

    Nov 6 to Nov 12, 2026 · Long Beach, CA

    Ticket About $725. Early-bird full registration $725 for members (deadline Aug 31, 2026); lower student and emerging-professional…

  • TechServe Alliance Executive Summit

    Nov 9 to Nov 11, 2026 · Huntington Beach, CA

    Ticket $2,695 to $3,995. IT & engineering services firm rates: early bird (to Jul 31) member $2,695 / non-member $3,095; advance…

  • ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Conference

    Nov 9 to Nov 11, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA

    Ticket $1,299 to $1,999. In-person standard (includes Awards Gala Dinner): ANA member tiers Platinum $1,299, Gold $1,499, Silver…

  • SIM National Conference

    Nov 9 to Nov 11, 2026 · Huntington Beach, CA

    By invitation only. Membership-based; pricing not read.

  • American Film Market (AFM)

    Nov 10 to Nov 15, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA

    Ticket $345 to $1,295. One-day $345; three-day $445; four-day $645; Industry $945; Platinum $1,295.

  • AI Engineer Code Summit

    Nov 10 to Nov 12, 2026 · San Francisco, CA

    Apply to attend. Attendance by application (free to apply). Regular $1,299 now, final/at-door $1,499 for talks and expo Nov…

    Open call for speakers

  • ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit

    Nov 10 to Nov 11, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Paid ticket. Ticket price not published on the page.

  • PLUS Conference

    Nov 10 to Nov 12, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Ticket About $1,725. Only the member full-access price ($1,725) is listed; nonmember/student rates not shown. Hotel block expired…

  • SourceCon

    Nov 10 to Nov 11, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Paid ticket. Pricing not read.

  • NAPABA Convention

    Nov 12 to Nov 15, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA

    Paid ticket. Registration open to members; members save up to $675; law student membership is a non-voting category.

  • TwitchCon San Diego

    Nov 13 to Nov 15, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Paid ticket. Ticket prices are on the Buy Passes page (not read).

  • QCon San Francisco

    Nov 16 to Nov 18, 2026 · San Francisco, CA

    Ticket About $2,995. $2,995 three-day conference pass; current pricing ends Nov 10; workshops Nov 19-20 extra.

  • SMPTE Media Technology Summit

    Nov 16 to Nov 19, 2026 · Pasadena, CA

    Paid ticket. Fee not in results.

    Open call for speakers

  • AICPA & CIMA Women's Leadership Summit

    Nov 16 to Nov 18, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Ticket $995 to $1,445. In-person: AICPA member $995, non-member $1,445.

  • Microsoft Ignite

    Nov 17 to Nov 20, 2026 · San Francisco, CA

    Free expo floor; session passes $1,625 to $2,325. Full Conference pass $2,325; Hub pass $1,625 (Nov 17-19); digital pass free.…

  • Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting

    Nov 18 to Nov 21, 2026 · Palm Springs, CA

    Paid ticket, price not listed

  • IFMA World Workplace

    Nov 18 to Nov 20, 2026 · Anaheim, CA

    Paid ticket. Member and non-member full-event rates are only in a PDF form. Expo-only $149; virtual $99. Fifth registration free…

    Open call for speakers

  • MEDevice Silicon Valley

    Nov 18 to Nov 19, 2026 · Santa Clara, CA

    Free expo floor; session passes $0 to $199. Expo free if pre-registered; $199 at the door; hands-on workshops extra.

  • NAES Biennial Conference

    Nov 18 to Nov 20, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA

    Paid ticket. Pricing not captured.

  • CCLC Annual Convention

    Nov 19 to Nov 21, 2026 · Riverside, CA

    Paid ticket. Base price not stated; registration rises $100 per attendee after Oct 30, 2026.

  • SJDM Annual Meeting

    Nov 20 to Nov 22, 2026 · San Diego, CA

    Ticket $265 to $595. Late registration $595 regular, $265 student/postdoc; membership $50 or $15 required.

  • Produced By Conference

    Nov 20, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA

    Paid ticket. 2027 pricing not posted.

  • DSI Annual Conference

    Nov 21 to Nov 23, 2026 · San Francisco, CA

    Paid ticket, price not listed

  • USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace

    Nov 30 to Dec 4, 2026 · San Francisco, CA

    By invitation only. Member-only per search result.

Showing 24 of 352 conferences, 265 with dates announced.

All conferences

California counties

Each county page has its own unemployment, layoffs, job openings, employers, colleges and job centers.

Show all 58

California cities

Cities with open jobs, layoff notices, a job center or a college.

Show all 396

Laid off or looking for work in California?

See what to do first, what California unemployment benefits pay, and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS for population, income and unemployment; layoff notices from California’s published record; job counts from our live job board, taken from employers’ own career sites; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. California unemployment benefits and severance rules.

Applying and hearing nothing back?

Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.

Already a member? Log in

Get my Market Reality Assessment

Job seekers in California looking to you for help, or openings you cannot fill?

Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers in California.

See how organizations use it