California Lost More Than Half A Million Jobs To China: Study

CALIFORNIA -- A "massive" trade deficit with China has resulted in the lost of millions of jobs in the U.S., but California has been the hardest hit state, according to a study released Tuesday by the Washington, D.C. think tank Economic Policy Institute.

To determine how the trade deficit has impacted all 50 states, researchers examined "the job impacts of trade by subtracting the job opportunities lost to imports from those gained through exports."

"As with our previous analyses, we find that because imports from China have soared while exports to China have increased much less, the United States is both losing jobs in manufacturing (in electronics and high tech, apparel, textiles, and a range of heavier durable goods industries) and missing opportunities to add jobs in manufacturing (in exporting industries such as transportation equipment, agricultural products, computer and electronic parts, chemicals, machinery, and food and beverages)," researchers wrote.

From 2001 to 2017, researchers estimate that 3.4 million jobs have been lost in the U.S.

All 50 states have suffered, but the top five hardest hit states include:

1. California: 562,500 jobs lost
2. Texas: 314,000 jobs lost
3. New York: 183,500 jobs lost
4. Illinois: 148,200 jobs lost
5. Pennsylvania: 136,100 jobs lost

The computer and electronic parts industry saw the biggest hit, losing more than 1.2 million jobs, researchers wrote.

See the full study here.

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