Oregon’s unemployment rate fell once again last month, from 4.2 percent in January to an even 4 percent in February.
That’s still higher than it was before the pandemic. But Anna Johnson, a senior economic analyst with the Oregon Employment Department, said the state has recovered about 86 percent of the jobs that were lost in the spring of 2020. And she said most employment sectors fared well last month.
“Oregon’s job gains were pretty widespread in February, with Oregon seeing the largest monthly job gains since July 2021," said Johnson. "The largest gain was in Leisure and Hospitality, which added 3,500 jobs over the month.”
The construction and health care fields also had strong gains in February.
Oregon’s unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national rate of 3.8 percent.