OC’s Broadest and Most Diverse Industry

With an employment close to 255,000 people, the Business and Professional Services sector is Orange County’s largest, accounting for over 18% of the county’s total payroll employment.

It is the broadest and most diverse cluster in Orange County, with major employment in sectors such as accounting, management, legal, architectural/engineering and employment services. Due to the cross-cutting nature of the industries within the Business and Professional Services sector, it is often looked upon to help gauge the strength of Orange County’s workforce and economy as a whole.

Orange County’s Business and Professional Services sector is expected to be a primary driving factor of new employment opportunities.  According to the California Employment Development Department’s 2008 to 2018 industry employment projections, the Business and Professional Services sector is projected to add 33,500 jobs, an increase of over 12.5%.  Sectors such as Legal Services along with Architectural and Engineering Services are expected to see growth of over 20% during this same time period.

Helping to drive the expansion of Orange County’s Business and Professional Services sector is the growth of Information Technology occupations. Business and Professional Services employers rely on IT for day-to-day operations with features such as email, video conferencing, cloud technologies, and computer software. These new technologies have allowed businesses to become even more connected to their customer base and promote business to business connections, allowing for increased collaborations and subsequently the expansion of this industry.