Oregon Employment Department. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
For the first time since the Covid pandemic began, Oregon’s unemployment rate is below 5%.
That’s according to the latest statewide job numbers released Tuesday by the Oregon Employment Department, which recorded a 4.9% unemployment rate for August. In July, Oregon had a 5.2% unemployment rate.
The number of employed Oregonians grew by 7,900 in August. Industries adding the most jobs included government (3,500), wholesale trade (1,400), leisure and hospitality (1,200) and professional and business services (1,000). Retail trade jobs fell by 1,900.
Oregon has recovered 204,700 jobs since April 2020, the employment department said. That’s 72% of the jobs lost during the recession.
Despite the jobs added in recent months in leisure and hospitality, that sector remains the hardest-hit by the pandemic. The industry remains 44,300 jobs below its peak employment in February 2020 and has regained just 60% of jobs lost during the early months of the pandemic.
County and city unemployment data for August will be released Sept. 19, the department said.
-Rachel Alexander
