Oregon's Unemployment Rate Unchanged, Payrolls Down Slightly in September

Oregon's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in September, the same as August's revised rate. While Oregon's unemployment rate has hovered near 7.0 percent throughout the year, the national unemployment rate has improved, down to 5.9 percent in September.

Although the unemployment rate hasn't moved much, Oregon's labor force expanded rapidly in recent months, adding 5,600 in September. Meanwhile, the national labor force declined by 97,000 in September. Oregon's labor force participation rate also rose in recent months, from 61.1 percent in June to 61.5 percent in September.

Payroll employment growth stalled in Oregon in September. Oregon lost 300 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, following revised gains of 4,200 jobs in August. Employment rose by 37,300 (+2.2%) between September 2013 and September 2014. Industries that led expansion over the past year include professional and business services (+7,800 jobs), health care (+5,800), leisure and hospitality (+5,600), and manufacturing (+5,000).

More information about Oregon's employment situation can be found in the full news release at QualityInfo.org!