Oregon Employment Department. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Fewer Salem residents were unemployed in April than in March, and unemployment locally remains far below what it was one year ago.
That’s according to new Oregon Employment Department data released Tuesday, which showed declines in the unemployment rate for 28 or Oregon’s 36 counties, including Marion and Polk.
The Salem metropolitan area had a 3.7% seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April, down from 3.8% in March, and 5.9% in April 2021. That means about 7,700 Salem residents looking for work in April couldn’t find a job, while about 205,000 were employed.
Employment rates in the Portland Metro area, Willamette Valley and central Oregon have grown substantially over the past year, while growth has been slower in southern, eastern and coastal Oregon, the report said.
-Rachel Alexander
