SoCal warehouse hiring stabilizes; Skechers cuts 725

Southern California’s warehouse economy is sending two signals at once. April labor data pointed to early stabilization in transportation and warehousing hiring across the region, according to a market note published by The Broker List. Days later, TeamOne disclosed that it would lay off 725 temporary workers tied to a Skechers factory-store operation in Moreno Valley, according to Redlands Daily Facts. Together, the two developments showed a regional labor market that has stopped worsening at the same pace, even as individual occupiers continue to cut headcount. ### Why are warehouse payrolls and warehouse layoffs pointing in different directions? April’s jobs data suggested transportation and warehousing hiring in Southern California had begun to stabilize after a period of softer demand, higher vacancy and rent pressure, The Broker List reported. The same report said vacancy remained elevated and rents were softer across Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, Orange County and Ventura County. (blog.thebrokerlist.com) That split is common in logistics markets. Regional payroll data capture broad activity across ports, trucking, warehousing and distribution, while a layoff notice reflects one employer, one contract or one building. In this case, the macro picture improved modestly even as one labor-intensive operation reduced staffing. That reading is supported by California Employment Development Department pages showing April 2026 labor-market data had been released, while March remained the latest month visible on some employment-by-industry tables. (blog.thebrokerlist.com) ### What exactly happened in Moreno Valley? TeamOne said it was laying off 725 temporary workers assigned to a Skechers USA facility in Moreno Valley, Redlands Daily Facts reported on May 21. The report described TeamOne as a Latino-owned staffing agency specializing in warehouse jobs and short- and long-term assignments in the Inland Empire. A separate WARN-related posting said TeamOne notified the California Employment Development Department on May 18 about a mass layoff at its Moreno Valley facility. (labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov) That posting was from a law firm, not a government agency, but it aligns with the reported scale and timing of the cuts. ### Does the TeamOne cut mean Skechers is shutting a warehouse? The available reports do not say Skechers is closing the Moreno Valley operation. Redlands Daily Facts tied the layoffs to a Skechers factory-store operation, but the report described the affected workers as temporary employees placed by TeamOne rather than Skechers employees directly. (redlandsdailyfacts.com) That distinction matters for landlords, lenders and brokers. (straussborrelli.com) Temporary staffing can be adjusted faster than a company’s permanent real-estate footprint, so a labor cut does not automatically mean a tenant is vacating space. The public reporting supports a narrower conclusion: a large occupier reduced temporary labor at one Inland Empire site while the broader regional labor picture showed some stabilization. (redlandsdailyfacts.com) ### What does the April labor data actually show for Southern California? The Broker List said stronger April jobs figures supported optimism that Southern California industrial markets were stabilizing, not rebounding. Its report paired the hiring improvement with continued pressure from rising vacancy and softer rents. California’s labor-market pages show April 2026 unemployment and labor-force figures were released statewide and by geography. (redlandsdailyfacts.com) Federal data pages for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area also showed transportation, warehousing and utilities employment series available through March 2026, underscoring that official sector data can lag broader monthly releases. ### What should readers watch next? California’s next monthly labor releases will show whether the April stabilization in transportation and warehousing extends into May. (blog.thebrokerlist.com) Any additional WARN notices, company statements from Skechers, or local reporting on the Moreno Valley facility would also clarify whether the TeamOne cuts were a one-off staffing reset or part of a longer pullback. (labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov)