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Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Oregon Business Employment Dynamics Report: First Quarter 2017

Establishments with job gains added 108,577 jobs to the Oregon economy while establishments with job losses reduced employment by 89,507 jobs during the first quarter of 2017. Expanding establishments added 90,747 jobs in the first quarter of 2017 and that expansion exceeded the 75,212 jobs lost due to contracting establishments by 15,535. Opening establishments gained 17,830 jobs which was 3,535 more than the 14,295 jobs lost due to establishments going out of business. The result of the combined jobs gained and lost was an overall increase of 19,070 jobs.

The seasonally adjusted number of Oregon establishments gaining jobs increased by 1,949 (growing from 31,766 to 33,715). At the same time, the number of establishments losing jobs decreased by 1,505 declining from 30,699 to 29,164 establishments. The number of establishments that opened (6,439) was greater than the number of establishments that closed (5,100) resulting in a net establishment gain of 1,339.
Industry sectors posting job gains included: retail trade (3,376), professional and business services (2,278), construction (3,236), education and health services (4,114), leisure and hospitality (2,129), manufacturing (388), wholesale trade (451), financial activities (551), and information (206). Only transportation and warehousing (-716) had fewer jobs in the first quarter of 2017 than during the prior quarter.

Coming out of the Great Recession, total private-sector employment in the retail sector hit a low level of 177,265 employees during the first quarter of 2010. Since then, total retail employment and the net change in employment (gross job gains minus gross job losses) have seen a slow but steady pattern of net job gains. Between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, gross job losses of 10,038 due to business closings and contractions were more than offset by new business openings and existing business expansions of 13,414 jobs, for a net gain of 3,376 jobs.

This article was originally written by Ken Lux, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Coordinator. A more detailed listing of Oregon Business Employment Dynamics data, statewide (all industries) and statewide (by industry sector), is available at www.QualityInfo.org on the Publications page in the Reports & Analysis box.

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