A closed sign at American Eagle at Salem Center. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter)
The Salem area’s unemployment barely budged last month, according to numbers from the Oregon Employment Department released Tuesday.
In September, the unemployment rate for the Salem area was 7.8%, slightly down from August’s rate of 7.9%.
The area’s unemployment has ticked downwards since reaching a high of 15% in April. But the most recent rate is the smallest decline since the pandemic struck Oregon and devastated its economy.
According to a department press release, there are now 11% or 19,500 fewer jobs than in February of this year.
In September, most industries in the Salem area’s private sector shed jobs, according to the department. Health care and social assistance employment declined 400. Manufacturing saw the same number of jobs lost and construction shed 300 jobs.
Those losses were slightly offset by retail adding 11 jobs and local schools adding 800. Leisure and hospitality, which has been particularly affected by the pandemic, saw the number of jobs stay the same. However, the sector has lost 5,600 jobs or 34% since September of last year.
The Salem area’s unemployment rate has tracked the rest of the state. In September, the unemployment rate was 8% down from 8.5% in August.
Last week state economist Josh Lehner posted a blog in response to the statewide numbers writing that while there will be slowing in the months ahead because of wildfire, it doesn’t “mean the recovery is in jeopardy.”
Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or [email protected] or @jakethomas2009.
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