Inland Empire Labor and Community Center

BateThe “Thrive Inland SoCal: Labor Market Analysis” offers a comprehensive exploration of the labor market in Southern California’s Inland Southern California Region, made up of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Using a mixed methods approach, this report focuses on understanding the various challenges the region’s labor market is faced with, in addition to identifying current efforts to support workers. Using publicly available data, the team examined several variables to understand the context in which the region’s residents currently operate. The team additionally conducted a series of interviews with a variety of stakeholders, in order to better understand the unique challenges and needs of the region. In particular, this report focuses on understanding the high-road approach, which in a workforce context refers to efforts that aim to improve job quality and increase access, especially for workers who experience barriers to employment. Complemented by a comprehensive literature review, an analysis of the data gathered identified the following four areas as major barriers: • Financial: childcare and eldercare, transportation, housing cost, and technology • Social: discrimination, immigration status and language, cultural capital, social stigma, awareness of opportunities, social networking, and youth job seekers • Educational: access to higher education, general attainment, and financial barriers • Environmental: climate-related changes, heat, unpredictable weather