Santa Clara County, CA jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meSanta Clara County economy
4.2%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.5% the month before
1,040,676
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
1,903,297
people in Santa Clara County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$159,674
median household income
Source: Census ACS
59%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Where Santa Clara County ranks
Where Santa Clara County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #2Best counties for laid-off professionals in the West Coast73 / 100 · of 34
- #2Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in the West Coast21 per 100 · of 35
- #2Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast59% · of 86
- #3Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the West Coast38% · of 68
- #7Best county job markets for job seekers in the West Coast64 / 100 · of 34
- #10Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person21 per 100 · of 100
Santa Clara 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 0.4% from 2022 to 2025
- Population down 0.9% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 4.2%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: management of companies (+44,625 jobs), health care (+21,468 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−50,224 jobs), professional & technical (−12,753 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Santa Clara County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- California grocery store closing after 57-year runNew York Post on MSN · Oct 29, 2026
- eBay to Cut 1,000 Jobs in Second Round of 2026 LayoffsSTL.News · Oct 21, 2026
- Aria Networks plans to triple workforce with Sunnyvale moveThe Business Journals · Oct 16, 2026
Learn and get funded in Santa Clara County
- 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.
Santa Clara County layoffs
43
Layoff notices, last 12 months
2,950
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
22
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServiceNow, Inc.Takes effect Jan 4, 2027 | Santa Clara County | 37 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Wedgewood Village Pharmacy, LLCTakes effect Jan 4, 2027 | Santa Clara County | 71 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Davey Tree Surgery CompanyTakes effect Dec 31, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 20 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Davey Tree Surgery CompanyTakes effect Dec 31, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 19 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 25 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 23 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 6 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 5 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 5 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 2 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| CepheidTakes effect Dec 28, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 1 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| eBayTakes effect Oct 21, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 229 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Netflix, Inc.Takes effect Sep 14, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 227 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| ServiceNow, Inc.Takes effect Dec 14, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 2 | Layoff Permanent | State record | |
| Magic Leap, Inc.Takes effect Dec 1, 2026 | Santa Clara County | 5 | Layoff Permanent | State record |
Employers hiring most in Santa Clara County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Apple621 open roles
- Amazon387 open roles
- Intuit285 open roles
- Advanced Micro Devices234 open roles
- Nvidia234 open roles
- Google189 open roles
- Waymo163 open roles
- Applied Intuition161 open roles
- Super Micro Computer149 open roles
- Cisco Systems148 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Santa Clara County
- Apple Inc.about 164,000 employees (2022)
- Flexabout 148,000 employees (2025)
- Ciscoabout 86,000 employees (2025)
- Nvidiaabout 42,000 employees (2026)
- Broadcomabout 20,000 employees (2023)
- Palo Alto Networksabout 14,000 employees (2024)
- NetAppabout 12,000 employees (2022)
- Netflix, Inc.about 11,000 employees (2021)
- Cohesityabout 5,800 employees (2026)
- Rubrikabout 2,500 employees (2022)
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Santa Clara County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Stanford University | Stanford | Private non-profit 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | Private non-profit 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| Palo Alto University | Palo Alto | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| University of Silicon Andhra | Milpitas | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Job fairs and business events in Santa Clara County
Hiring events, career workshops and business events in and around Santa Clara County.
- Job-transition sessionDec 8, 2026
Layoff Assistance Information Session
With North San Jose America`s Job Center of California · With San Jose Job Center · With work2future Gilroy Job Center · Workforce board: work2future - Silicon Valley Workforce Development Board
Conferences in Santa Clara County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Santa Clara County. 19 with dates announced.
- 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.
- Berkeley-Stanford Advanced Patent Law Institute
Dec 3 to Dec 4, 2026 · Palo Alto, CA
Paid ticket, price not listed
- Bisnow West Coast Data Center Conference & Expo
Dec 3, 2026 · San Jose, CA
Ticket About $439. General ticket $439 (limited number at this price; rises once tier sells out).
- GovAI Coalition Summit
Dec 9 to Dec 10, 2026 · San Jose, CA
Ticket $50 to $200. $200 summit; $50 government-only Town Hall (Dec 11).
- DesignCon
Feb 2 to Feb 4, 2027 · Santa Clara, CA
Paid ticket. Prices are on the registration page, not captured.
- DeveloperWeek
Feb 9 to Feb 11, 2027 · Santa Clara, CA
Free expo floor; session passes $195 to $1,395. Open pass $195 (limited access); Pro pass early-bird tiers from $785 rising to…
- AI DevWorld
Feb 9 to Feb 11, 2027 · Santa Clara, CA
Ticket $1,535 to $2,195. PRO $1,535 and PREMIUM $2,195 per structured data; Hyatt block $299/night. Startup Alley free passes by…
Open call for speakers
- ProductWorld
Feb 9 to Feb 11, 2027 · Santa Clara, CA
Paid ticket. Price not read (official site blocks scripted fetch).
Open call for speakers
- TreeHacks
Feb 12 to Feb 14, 2027 · Stanford, CA
Apply to attend. Free for admitted hackers; flights (with regional caps), food and swag covered.
- Finance Alliance CFO Summit & FP&A Summit (San Jose)
Feb 24, 2027 · San Jose, CA
Free expo, paid sessions. CFO Summit is invite-only (VP and C-suite finance executives); FP&A Summit tickets are paid, price not…
- Stanford GSB Investor Summit
Feb 27, 2027 · Stanford, CA
By invitation only
- NVIDIA GTC
Mar 15 to Mar 18, 2027 · San Jose, CA
Paid ticket. Pass types: Conference, Exhibits Only, Full-Day Workshops, Digital Only; prices not listed on the pricing page.
Showing 12 of 26 conferences, 19 with dates announced.
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Santa Clara County. 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).
- NOVA Workforce Development Board
San Mateo; Cities: Cupertino, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale
- work2future - Silicon Valley Workforce Development Board
Santa Clara; Cities: San Jose, Stanford
work2future Gilroy Job Center
Gilroy · Affiliate · 408-758-3477
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
North San Jose America`s Job Center of California
San Jose · Affiliate · 408-216-6200
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
San Jose Job Center
San Jose · Comprehensive · 408-794-1101
Monday - Friday 8a-5p
NOVAworks
Sunnyvale · Comprehensive · 408-730-7232
Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Cities in Santa Clara County
Other California counties
Laid off or looking for work in Santa Clara County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from California’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. California unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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