LONG BEACH--A new report says Orange County will lead Southern California out of the recession, but the Inland Empire will languish through 2010.

The economic forecasters at Cal State Long Beach expect another six months of job cuts. A slowly improving economy should take hold next year in parts of Southern California with more healthy growth in 2011.

The Inland Empire will see only modest improvement in 2011.

Redlands-based senior economist John Husing says the depressed housing market is having a huge impact.

“We need to slow down the sale of foreclosures. That’s what this is all about. The question is ‘how long before this whole thing starts to correct?’ 2010 is a possibility or 2011.”.

Nationwide, the forecasters think the economy saw the worst of the recession in the first quarter of this year.

Story Date: May 19, 2009