Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped in March.
The Oregon Employment Department said the seasonally adjusted rate was 4.4 percent. That’s down from 4.7 percent in February.
Job gains picked up again in March, with seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rising by 2,400 jobs after a drop of 2,700 jobs in February.
“We’ve seen a little weakness in the retail trade sector over the past year," said State Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer. "Overall, though, Oregon’s added more than 54,000 jobs. And those job gains have been pretty widespread over Oregon’s economy.”
The strongest job gains in March were in the "health care and social assistance" category, followed by the "professional and business services" category.
Oregon’s unemployment rate remains nearly a full point above the national rate of 3.5 percent, but is still well below the double-digit pandemic highs of 2020.
