Gov. Newsom celebrates milestone: California Jobs First initiative delivers training for thousands and new jobs in 2025
California – Governor Gavin Newsom continued highlighting the reach of the California Jobs First initiative during a stop in Orange County, pointing to major statewide gains achieved in 2025.
More than 142,000 individuals were trained with about $1.6 billion in investments, and more than 61,000 new jobs were created in the state’s 13 economic districts. This is part of a larger effort to improve local economies and make it easier for people to find stable, well-paying jobs.
The plan is based on planning that is driven by the region. Local committees made up of workers, businesses, schools, the government, environmental justice groups, and community organizations came up with data-driven economic plans that were specific to their areas. The statewide economic blueprint that started in early 2025 was based on those ideas. It focuses on 10 main industry sectors and gives money to projects that will create more opportunities where people live and work.
Many state programs helped with the results throughout the year. Regional investment funds helped initiatives related to aerospace, life sciences, and agricultural technologies. Other awards helped tribal economic development and efforts to recover from wildfires in Los Angeles County.
Tax credit programs helped businesses grow, which brought in billions of dollars in capital investment and thousands of new jobs. Workforce programs were also very important. For example, they spent tens of millions of dollars on training employees, increased apprenticeships that helped more than 69,000 people, and formed focused partnerships to help underprivileged populations find jobs.
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Leaders in Orange County seized the opportunity to talk about industries that are likely to help the region thrive, such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing, high technology, and tourism. The medical device business alone employs more than 21,000 people in the area and makes up a large part of the national industry’s earnings. This shows how important the area is to the economy.
State officials said that 2025 would be a starting point for more progress. Plans to harmonize the workforce, simplify construction laws that would be easier to follow, and provide developers additional tools to get sites ready will all be meant to speed up future investment. Extra regional funding and a second investment summit scheduled for 2026 are meant to keep the momentum going, attract private capital, and increase job training.
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California continues to have one of the biggest economies in the world. It has the most new businesses, the most access to venture capital, and the biggest industries like manufacturing, technology, and agriculture. State leaders say the Jobs First strategy is meant to make these things even better in the future.
