Oregon’s Job Market Stalls In April

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon added just 2,200 jobs in April, keeping the state’s unemployment rate at 6 percent.

“Although Oregon’s unemployment rate hit a stand-still in April, underlying labor force dynamics continue shifting. April marked the first month since the pandemic recession started that those experiencing permanent job losses were the largest group of laid off Oregonians. Long-term unemployment has also reached its highest point in nine years,” said Gail Krumenauer, State Employment Economist with the Oregon Employment Department.

The small job gains in April were made in the “Government” and “Leisure and Hospitality” sectors, while there was a loss in the manufacturing sector.

Oregon has now added back 59% of the jobs lost at the start of the pandemic.

Here’s more from the Oregon Employment Department:

Oregon’s unemployment rate remained at 6.0% in April, the same as in March. The rate declined slightly in January, February, and March before holding steady in April. Throughout the middle and end of 2020, Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped sharply, and is now down considerably from its recent high point of 13.2% in April 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 6.1% in April, from 6.0% in March.

In Oregon, hiring slowed as nonfarm payroll employment grew by 2,200 in April, following monthly gains averaging 14,000 in the prior three months. Monthly gains were concentrated in government (+2,300 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (+2,000). Monthly declines were largest in manufacturing (-900 jobs), transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-800), and retail trade (-800).

In April, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment totaled 1,855,600, a drop of 117,400 jobs, or 6% from the pre-recession peak in February 2020. Oregon’s employment dropped to a low of 1,687,500 by April 2020. Since then, Oregon has recovered 168,100 jobs, or 59% of the jobs lost between February and April 2020.

Employment totals for recent months were revised upward, indicating somewhat higher jobs totals in Oregon in late 2020 and early this year. Total nonfarm employment was revised upward by approximately 13,000 jobs per month for December 2020 through March 2021. Upward revisions were most pronounced in leisure and hospitality (+6,000 jobs), health care and social assistance (+3,000), and retail trade (+1,900). These gains were partially offset by downward revisions that were most pronounced in professional and business services (-2,000 jobs).