Layoffs Climb In The IE's Warehousing, Logistics Sectors

RIALTO, CA — While the Inland Empire is flush with mega distribution centers and warehouses, jobs cuts in the sector are continuing in the region, and this month another mass layoff was announced at one multinational company that has a facility in Rialto.

France-based Geodis, a global transport and logistics provider, announced last week that it will permanently lay off 238 employees from its facility at 1710 West Baseline Road by early July, according to state WARN filings. The layoffs come on the heels of an announcement by Illinois-based CJ Logistics America that it was laying off 71 people at its warehouse facility in Fontana. Just this month, Florida-based Eclispe Advantage, which provides workforce solutions for logistics and manufacturing companies, announced it was closing its Rancho Cucamonga facility by May 30.

Related on Patch: Nestlé Closing Riverside County Location, Wabash Announces Layoffs

The Inland Empire is not the only area to see job losses in the manufacturing, distribution and logistics sectors. Recent WARN filings and company announcements show cuts across at least a dozen companies in states beyond California, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, according to FreightWaves, which reports on the logistics industry.

High energy prices, inflation, tariffs, uncertain political headwinds, and accelerated AI adoption are among factors that analysts cite for the job cuts.

Related on Patch: Inland Empire's White-Hot Warehousing Sector Cools

The March 2026 unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in Riverside County, and 5.0 percent in San Bernardino County, according to a May 1 report from the California Employment Development Department. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 5.2 percent for California and 4.3 percent for the nation during the same period.

Between February 2026 and March 2026 in the Inland Empire, trade, transportation, and utilities lost the most jobs over the month, decreasing by 2,600. Most of those decreases were in transportation and warehousing (down 2,200), according to the EDD.