Orange County’s biggest employers continued to expand their workforces over the past year, though at a slightly slower pace than last year.
A total of 83 companies with a minimum of 1,000 workers here combined to add 6,561 local jobs in the year ended Oct. 31—a 2.5% hike to 272,874, according to this week’s Business Journal list.
Last year’s list included 82 companies that grew their combined local labor force by 3.4%, a high-water mark since the Great Recession.
The companies on this year’s list combined to lag the overall county on job gains. OC’s year-over-year employment numbers were up 2.8% to 1.6 million as of September, according to the state Employment Development Department.
Ranked companies outperformed California’s 2.3% year-over-year increase to about 16.6 million.
They grew employment faster companywide than within OC, combining for 3.5% increase to about 9.6 million jobs.
The list includes 32 companies that added jobs here, nine that reported no changes, and another eight that cut jobs. Numbers for the remaining 34 companies were flat, based on Business Journal estimates.
• Walt Disney Co. in Burbank was the No. 1 employer, with a workforce of 29,000, the same as last year.
The media and theme park company is building a 14-acre Star Wars Land attraction in Anaheim. Construction specialists say the attraction will open in 2018 or 2019. Upgrades include a new transportation hub and other infrastructure improvements. Companywide employment edged up 0.3% to 180,500.
• University of California-Irvine kept its No. 2 ranking by hiring 503 to employ 23,605. The 2.2% growth rate is in line with the university’s average growth rate over the past five years.
“We added 180 academic hires for the 2016-17 school year,” said spokesperson Cathy Lawton.
Chancellor Howard Gillman and Provost Enrique Lavernia recruited several “high impact” hires “from an elite pool of accomplished scholars,” she said, each recruit bringing his or her own research staff.
The university also is expanding its mental health facility to offer more psychiatric services in OC, she said, and is increasing staff to support innovation and entrepreneurship programs.
• St. Joseph Health in Orange retained its No. 3 rank with an estimated 11,925 employees. The healthcare provider struck a deal to combine with Providence Health and Services in Renton, Wash., this year, although the arrangement includes little overlap and did not affect local employment levels.
• Allied Universal in Santa Ana climbed four spots to No. 4 with 8,229 employees, up almost 50%. The company succeeds security company Universal Services of America on the list after Universal merged with competitor AlliedBarton Security Services in Conshohocken, Pa., in May. Allied Universal employs 150,000 companywide, about 88% more than Universal Services employed last year.
Most of the jobs increase was related to the merger and about 25% was organic, said Chief Executive Officer Steve Jones.
“We’re really growing with Orange County,” Jones said, adding that physical security is needed at the numerous construction sites and at the new buildings and businesses after construction is completed.
• Kaiser Permanente in Oakland is the No. 5 employer with 7,694, up 4%. The healthcare provider employs 186,497 companywide, up 5%.
Other Notables
• Boeing Co. in Chicago is No. 6 with an estimated 6,103 employees. The aerospace company’s rank will likely drop after it announced plans to move 2,500 jobs from Huntington Beach within the next four years. A fraction of the jobs will shift to Seal Beach, a majority going to El Segundo, Long Beach, St. Louis and Huntsville, Ala.
The move comes as the company begins to consolidate nationwide operations in its defense and space and security groups and close operations that account for 4.5 million square feet of space in Texas, Virginia and Washington state.
“Making better use of our facilities will enhance efficiency and promote greater collaboration,” said Leanne Caret, president and chief executive of Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security operations, in a statement. “This will help drive our global growth in Boeing’s second century.”
The company would have dropped in rank to the high teens or low 20s if the job changes had occurred this year.
• Wells Fargo & Co. in San Francisco moved up one spot to No. 13 with 5,190, up 23%. The bank employs 269,000 companywide, up 1.5%.
• Irvine Company in Newport Beach climbed five spots to No. 15 with 4,200 workers, up 8%. The real estate developer and owner employs 4,600 companywide, up almost 10%.
• Edwards Lifesciences Corp. in Irvine climbed five spots to No. 20. The heart valve maker employs 3,823 locally, up about 14%. Companywide employment increased about 15% to 11,140.
Other Gains
Restaurant franchisers In-N-Out Burgers Inc. in Irvine and Del Taco Restaurants Inc. in Lake Forest both had double-digit job growth. The burger chain leapt 13 spots to No. 36 with 2,224 workers, up about 24%. Del Taco moved up 10 spots to take No. 60 with 1,503 employees, up 20%. In-N-Out grew 27% companywide to employ 23,695, and Del Taco has 7,714, up about 2%.
• Genesis HealthCare LLC in Kennett Square, Penn., is No. 61 with 1,500, the same as last year, though the operator of skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapy services grew 581% companywide to employ 88,700.
Drops
• Oakley in Foothill Ranch fell six spots to No. 43 with 1,987, down about 11%. It employs 3,915 companywide. The sunglasses and apparel maker’s parent company, Luxottica Group SPA, in Italy eliminated 400 positions companywide via layoffs and attrition, though the company remains the top retail employer in OC.
• Western Digital Corp. in Irvine fell six spots to No. 50 after cutting about 11% of its local workforce to employ 1,700. The computer memory maker employs 74,000 companywide, down about 15%, as it begins to integrate its $17 billion acquisition of SanDisk Corp. in Milpitas.
Debuts
• Asics America Corp. in Japan debuted at No. 70 with 1,282, up 22%. The athletic shoemaker employs 7,484 companywide, up 27%.
• T-Mobile USA Inc. in Bonn, Germany, is No.79 with 1,055 workers, up 20%. The cellular phone service provider employs 50,000 companywide, up 11%.
• The Ensign Group Inc. in Mission Viejo is No. 81 with 1,025, up 16%. The healthcare facilities operator employs 22,651 companywide, up 28%.
• Pacific Hospitality Group in Irvine ranks 82nd with 1,022, up 8%. The hotels owner and management company employs 2,659 companywide, up 16%.
