Jobs at the Port of Los Angeles are down by half, executive director says
LOS ANGELES — Job opportunities at the Port of Los Angeles are dwindling as President Donald Trump's steep tariffs take a hit on global trade and a major economic engine for the regional economy.
Nearly half of the longshoremen who support operations at the port went without work over the last two weeks, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said in an interview.
The port processed 25% less cargo than forecast for the month of May, he said.
Trump's tariffs have drastically stemmed the flow of goods into the U.S., driving down activity at the neighboring ports of L.A. and Long Beach, which collectively processed more than 20 million 20-foot-long cargo units last year.
The two ports are the largest in the country and provide jobs for thousands of dockworkers, heavy equipment operators and truck drivers.
But work has fallen off sharply in recent weeks. Over the last 25 work shifts, only 733 jobs were available for 1,575 longshoremen looking for work.
'They haven't been laid off, but they're not working nearly as much as they did previously,' Seroka told the Los Angeles Times. 'Since the tariffs went into place, and in May specifically, we've really seen the work go off on the downside.'
Marine terminal operators post available work opportunities, known as job orders, on a digital board at the port three times a day. Longshoremen can review the job orders at each shift and bid on the jobs they want to take. If there are more longshoremen than job orders, a portion of workers will go without pay.
The average of 733 job orders posted over the past 25 shifts, which is equal to roughly two weeks, is unusually low.
Ordinarily, between 1,700 and 2,000 job orders are posted during a typical day shift, and between 1,100 and 1,400 are posted during a standard night shift.
Seroka attributed the decrease in job opportunities to lower cargo volume moving through the port.
In May, 17 cargo ships canceled their planned trips to Los Angeles amid uncertainty over duties the Trump administration imposed worldwide.
Although May is typically a busier month than April, this past May saw 18% less cargo processed than the month before, according to port data.
The falloff comes during a critical time in advance of the Christmas shopping season, orders for which are usually placed before July 1.
Conditions are not expected to significantly improve anytime soon.
'The June numbers that we're projecting right now are nowhere near where they traditionally should be,' Seroka said.
An average of five ships have entered the port each day over the last week. This time of year, there would typically be between 10 and 12 ships in the port each day.
'The drop in cargo volume caused by Trump's tariffs will mean empty shelves when products don't reach our stores, rising prices on everything from groceries to clothes to cars, and undoubtedly, more Americans out of work,' U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California said in a news conference last month.
The decline in shipping has broader ripple effects on L.A.'s logistics economy.
A 2023 report found that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach contributed $21.8 billion in direct revenue to local service providers, generating $2.7 billion in state and local taxes and creating 165,462 jobs, directly and indirectly.
A decline of just 1% in cargo to the ports would wipe away 2,769 jobs and endanger as many as 4,000 others, the study found.
Union officials could not be reached for comment on Friday but had previously predicted job losses for their members.
'Some of the workforce will not be getting their full 40 hours a week based on the loss of cargo,' Gary Herrera, president of the longshoremen union ILWU Local 13, warned last month.
'That is going to have an effect on the work opportunities for not just us, but for truck drivers, warehouse workers and logistics teams,' he said.
The slowdown in activity at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach has also spread into surrounding communities. Businesses in the area rely on a robust community of port workers to frequent their establishments.
'We're starting to hear from small businesses and restaurants in the harbor area that their customer patronage is trending downward,' Seroka said. 'Outside of COVID, this is the biggest drop I've seen in my career.'
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But the Trump administration may have added to the concerns for international visitors by issuing a ban on travelers from 12 countries, with restrictions on travel from nine more countries. Iran, one of the countries named, has qualified for the World Cup. The proclamation included an exemption for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.' It did not mention fans. Fan fears There are signs current immigration policies were already impacting soccer fans and spurring worries over safety. A Latin American supporters group in Nashville stayed away from a recent Major League Soccer game because of ICE activity in the city. The city's Geodis Park is set to host three Club World Cup matches. Danny Navarro, who offers travel advice to followers on his social media platforms under the moniker TravelFutbolFan, said the World Cup Task Force announcement did not allay fears about travel, especially when Vice President JD Vance said, 'We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem.' That insinuated fans visiting the United States for the World Cup could use it to stay in the country, which is nonsensical, Navarro maintained. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are broadly viewed as higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Navarro put the onus on FIFA. 'They must know that there is an anxiety among international travelers wanting to come in. They must know there's an anxiety among the U.S. fan base that is multicultural and wanting to go to all these places. Are they going to? Are they going to be harassed by ICE?' Navarro said. 'There is just a lot of uncertainty, I would say, too much uncertainty, that the fan base doesn't want to think about.' If you build it, will they come? It remains to be seen how outside factors will ultimately impact the Club World Cup, which is not the global spectacle or draw that the World Cup is. Ticket sales, which were based on a dynamic pricing model, appear to be slow, with lowered prices from earlier this year and a slew of recent promotions. For a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo at the Rose Bowl on June 19, there were wide swaths of available seats going for $33.45. FIFA created an incentive program that says fans who buy two or more tickets to the Club World Cup 'may' be guaranteed the right to purchase one ticket to the World Cup next summer. Navarro said economic uncertainty and fears of inflation may make fans hesitant to spend their money on the Club World Cup — when the more desirable World Cup is looming. In some host cities, there's little sign the Club World Cup is happening. A light rail station in Seattle had a lone sign advertising the event. The Seattle Sounders are among the teams playing in the tournament. Hans Hobson, executive director of the Tennessee State Soccer Association, suggested part of the problem is that, unlike the national teams that play in the World Cup, some of the club teams playing in Nashville are just not known to U.S. fans. 'It's not leagues that they watch. If it was the Premier League or the Bundesliga or something like that, then they'd go, 'Oh, I know players there. Let's go check it out,' Hobson said. There were tickets available to LAFC's match against Esperance Sportive de Tunisie in Nashville on June 20 for $24.45. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has traveled to several host cities to gin up enthusiasm. He has promised 'the world will be welcomed.' But some say the United States isn't exactly rolling out the red carpet for visitors in the current climate. 'I could see trepidation for anyone looking to travel to the U.S. at this current political climate,' said Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsch. 'So it's a sad thing, I think, that we have to talk about visiting the U.S. in this way but I think everybody has to make decisions that are best for them and that fit best with what's going on in their life and their lifestyle.' ___ AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed to this report ___ AP soccer:
