Oregon Employment Rose by 2,000 in December

On a seasonally adjusted basis, preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate nonfarm payroll employment rose by 2,000 jobs in Oregon in December. The private sector added 2,300 jobs over the month, while public-sector employment declined by 300.

The small job losses in September, October, and November, when coupled with the modest job gain in December, equated to a nearly flat employment trend during the last four months of the year. This lackluster trend was disappointing compared with the stronger gains seen during the first eight months of the year, when payrolls expanded by 20,000 jobs.

BLS analysts estimate that trade, transportation, and utilities added the most jobs of the major industry sectors. It grew by 2,900 jobs when a gain of only 400 was the normal seasonal movement. Retail trade was strong as it added 1,900 at the end of the holiday hiring season. Retail was 5,700 jobs above its December 2011 figure, for a gain of 3.0 percent. Similarly, wholesale trade added more jobs than expected for the month, with a gain of 300. It was up 1,500, or 2.0 percent over the last 12 months.

During all months of 2012, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was between 8.4 percent and 8.9 percent. In December, 161,254 Oregonians were unemployed. This was 13,527 fewer individuals than in December 2011, when 174,781 Oregonians were unemployed.


You can find more details in the full employment news release.