Oregon's Job Growth Reaches Historic Level, Unemployment Rate at Six-Year Low

(Clatskanie, Ore.) — Representative Brad Witt released a statement following the latest job growth report from the Oregon Department of Employment. Oregon’s unemployment rate is now at a six-year low, with 24,300 jobs created in the last three months, the largest three-month gain since comparable records began in 1990.

“Our local economies are growing and we’re seeing a payoff from of our efforts to improve the business climate and support small businesses.  Columbia County’s unemployment rate is 7.9%, slightly above the statewide level.  This is well below the peak unemployment rate of 14% in mid-2009.  Other parts of our district are recovering very quickly with the rate in Washington County at 5.8% and Multnomah County at 6.2% unemployment. The state, our communities and our families are finally recovering from the great recession. We need to build on this and ensure that economic growth is reaching across the state with good family-wage jobs being created.”

Gains in December were broad-based, as seven of the major industries each added at least 800 jobs. It is rare for so many industries to gain that many jobs in one month. Retail trade (+2,000 jobs), government (+2,000), health care and social assistance (+1,600), construction (+900), transportation, warehousing and utilities (+800), leisure and hospitality (+800), and other services (+800) were the industries adding the most jobs.

A large drop in the number of unemployed Oregonians coincided with December’s employment growth. The labor force barely grew in December, unlike the rapid labor force growth seen in recent months. Fewer unemployed and an unchanged labor force contributed to the drop in the unemployment rate.

Source: Representative Brad Witt, District 31