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A Hiring Incentive that Works: The California Competes Tax Credit

By David Neumark, Matthew Freedman, Benjamin Hyman, Shantanu Khanna

Established in 2013, the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) boosts firm employment and payroll growth within California by as much as 30 percent within three years. This growth benefits a wide range of workers and is greater in parts of the state with higher levels of poverty and unemployment.

Report

Do California’s Enterprise Zones Create Jobs?

By David Neumark, Jed Kolko

California’s enterprise zone program was established to spur business and job creation in economically distressed areas. Offering tax credits and other incentives to businesses throughout the state, it is California’s largest economic development program. But does it work? This report finds that enterprise zones have no overall effect on job growth. There are some positive findings: for example, the program raises employment more in zones with smaller manufacturing shares, and marketing and outreach efforts seem to be helpful. But the report’s main finding calls into question the wisdom of investing in the program as it stands.

Report

Policies for Creating and Keeping Jobs in California

By David Neumark, Emma Wohl

State efforts to spur job creation include 21 programs ranging from tax credits to worker training. Three policies offer strong evidence indicating they create jobs or increase employment in California. New programs—and programs with weak evidence—need to have built-in features that allow deeper evaluation.

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Economic Growth

Envisioning California’s economic future and elevating pragmatic policies to support business and job growth.

blog post

California Jobs and Labor Force Are Still Down but Recovering

By Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune

Employment is still well below pre-pandemic levels, though the number of jobs continues to increase. Despite the state’s rapid recovery so far, underemployed and discouraged workers remain a key concern.

blog post

Wage Growth Is Struggling to Keep Up with Inflation

By Jenny Duan, Daniel Payares-Montoya

Average hourly wages for private-sector workers have increased 15% since just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in many parts of the economy, wages are not rising fast enough to keep up with inflation.

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