March Marks Fourth Consecutive Month of Job Gains in Oregon

This morning the Employment Department presented the latest unemployment rate and employment numbers for Oregon. These estimates come from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In March, the state's unemployment rate hit its lowest point (8.2%) since October 2008, and employers added 1,900 jobs to their payrolls. Oregon experienced job gains in each of the past four months, with particularly strong growth reported in January (+5,400 jobs) and February (+6,600).

Two major industries recently returned to record employment levels after suffering steep losses during the Great Recession. Professional and business services employment totaled 199,300 in March, surpassing the previous peak of 198,900 in April 2008. The accommodation and food services sector also hit a new high with 152,700 jobs in March. That tops the peak of 151,500 last seen in March 2008.

Additional details from the March employment news release are available at QualityInfo.org. 
The unemployment rates and employment estimates in this post are seasonally adjusted.