Asia Takes Toll on O.C. Exports, Jobs

Asia’s financial crisis will exact a heavier toll on Orange County’s exports than previously anticipated, costing the county thousands of new jobs, Chapman University economists warned Thursday.

The county will lose 5,900 new jobs this year, more than twice the number of new positions that were expected to be sidelined when Chapman first assessed the impact in December.

Chapman economists said the troubles have since spread to South Korea and Taiwan. The new study also includes the impact on service-related exports such as engineering.