Santa Cruz, CA jobs, layoffs and employers

Jobs in Santa Cruz

• Project Specialist - Bilingual (English/Spanish) PreferredSanta Cruz County Office Of Education
• Physical Therapist / Healthcare Center ManagerTop Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)
• Water Resources Senior Project Director - Water and Wastewater DesignBKF Engineers
• Sales Manager, Chaminade Resort & SpaPyramid Global Hospitality
• Director of Food & BeveragePyramid Global Hospitality
• Principal Regulatory Affairs SpecialistCapstan Medical
• Manager Clinic OperationsCommonSpirit Health
• OR ManagerCommonSpirit Health
• Executive CoordinatorCommonspirit Health
• Head of Public RelationsJoby Aviation

Search all jobs in Santa Cruz

Employers hiring most in Santa Cruz

1. Joby Aviation35 open roles
2. Capstan Medical4 open roles
3. Pyramid Global Hospitality3 open roles
4. University of California2 open roles
5. Albertsons Companies1 open role
6. Amazon1 open role
7. Arizona General Hospital Defunct1 open role
8. Astound Broadband1 open role
9. BKF Engineers1 open role
10. Builders FirstSource1 open role

Santa Cruz layoffs

• 1

  Layoff notices, last 12 months

• 1

  workers named

  A floor: states may leave out counts

• 1

  employer

All layoff notices in the state

Colleges in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County 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 down 0.9% from 2022 to 2025
• Population down 4.7% from 2020 to 2025
• Unemployment 5.1%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
• Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,284 jobs), agriculture (+747 jobs)
• Sectors losing the most jobs: admin & staffing (−989 jobs), other services (−740 jobs)

Local job-market news

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

• Letter to the editor: Watsonville is losing labor and delivery; the community deserves a planLookout Local Santa Cruz · Nov 5, 2026
• Funding cuts to medical care signal a tenuous future for local patients and hospitals.Monterey County NOW · Oct 29, 2026
• Watsonville Community Hospital board to consider closing maternity services, NICU at Wednesday meetingLookout Local Santa Cruz · Oct 26, 2026
• Watsonville Hospital considers closing mother-baby services, as possible closure within one year loomsThe Pajaronian · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville hospital holds community meeting amid potential closure of labor, delivery departmentSanta Cruz Sentinel · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville hospital faces possible closure as it loses $86,000 a dayKSBW Channel 8 on MSN · Oct 23, 2026
• Watsonville Hospital to hold community meeting amid potential closure of maternity servicesSanta Cruz Local · Oct 16, 2026
• Another view of Watsonville Community Hospital’s financesThe Pajaronian · Oct 2, 2026

Learn and get funded in Santa Cruz

• Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
• Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
• Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
• Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Santa Cruz. 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).

• Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board

  Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County economy

• 5.1%

  unemployment, Sep 2026

  5.4% the month before

• 138,703

  in the labor force

  Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

• 266,021

  people in Santa Cruz County

  Source: U.S. Census Bureau

• $109,266

  median household income

  Source: Census ACS

• 48%

  of workers in white-collar occupations

  Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

More cities in Santa Cruz County