April 21, 2008

Inland Empire job losses

This story from the Daily Bulletin provides a nicely detailed picture of the job losses in the Inland Empire region over the past year. The once-booming region's unemployment rate is now 7.1 percent, higher than 49 states, including California. It is also ground zero in the foreclosure crisis.

Some of the stories:

--AGC Glass, part of Japan-based Mitsubishi, laid off 275 people from a plant that made glass for window manufacturers and wholesalers.

--Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath laid off 100 from a factory that makes bathtubs. The company consolidated operations with another plant in Valdosta, Ga.

--Colton-based Oldcastle Precast Enclosure Solutions cut 33 jobs when it moved operations to Madera, in the Central Valley. The company makes concrete and plastic enclosures for underground electrical and irrigation connections.

--A Mervyns distribution warehouse in Ontario - the cargo hub for six western states - laid off 200 employees in early April and said it will outsource to a manager of third-party logistics vendors.

Read the whole thing.

Posted by dweintraub on April 21, 2008 04:46 PM