Orange County employment falls underwater again

Orange County employment weakened in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest report. Total nonfarm employment fell by 2,100 jobs in the month to 1,674,500. That marked a second consecutive monthly decline and pushed Orange County employment further into negative territory on a trailing-year basis. February 2020 marked the market’s pre-pandemic peak, and six years later, total employment remains 0.7% below that level, even as national employment has grown by more than 4%.