Area’s Economy ‘Treading Water’

"Recent employment figures show that the area’s labor force in some of its most dominant sectors is still far from the high-growth climate of recent years past.

Recent California Employment Development Department data show that the San Mateo and San Francisco area saw a year-over-year net decrease of 2,200 jobs in professional, scientific and technical services. Overall, the total number of jobs in the area decreased by 2,900, or less than 1% between August 2024 and August 2025 — with health care being one of the only sectors to buck the trend with slight increases. 

Specifically in San Mateo County, the labor force grew by only a few thousand from August 2024 to August 2025, and despite fewer layoffs so far this year, unemployment levels held steady at 4.1% — lower than state unemployment levels and similar to the national rate."