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Tech Layoffs and Higher Than Average Unemployment: A Close Look at the Bay Area’s Job Market

Aug 25, 2025
Joining the conversation are Jeff Bellisario, executive director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, Aki Ito, Business Insider's chief correspondent focused on tech and workplace culture, and Enrico Moretti, UC Berkeley economics professor. They tackle the dramatic unemployment surge in California and its impact on the Bay Area. Insights on tech layoffs reveal shifts in job availability, while fears surrounding AI’s influence on employment loom large. The trio discusses changing workplace dynamics and the evolving landscape of local economies reliant on tech.
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INSIGHT

Regionally Lukewarm Labor Market

  • The Bay Area job market is lukewarm with elevated unemployment compared to the nation.
  • Tech and manufacturing contractions ripple through retail, downtowns, and construction.
INSIGHT

Tech Jobs Multiply Local Employment

  • Tech job changes create large spillover effects into local services and jobs outside tech.
  • Losing tech roles reduces demand for restaurants, retail, construction, and other local jobs.
INSIGHT

AI Is Shaping A New Local Cluster

  • AI is creating a new cluster of startups and applications that are concentrated in the Bay Area.
  • Big AI labs are small now, but many smaller AI startups are rapidly renting office space and hiring.
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