Oregon’s unemployment rate was up slightly last month at 4.8% compared to 4.7% in April.
State employment economist Gayle Krumenauer said the rate has been inching up slowly over the last year.
“We've seen little change month to month in Oregon's unemployment rate, but overall, it amounted to a gradual increase, where we ended the year with the unemployment rate at about 4.3%, and it's risen by half a percentage point to 4.8% as of May,” she said.
The state’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment went down by 1,400 jobs last month. May saw gains in leisure and hospitality and declines in construction and manufacturing.
Over the last year, Krumenauer said construction has lost 6,700 jobs and manufacturing has lost 6,100 jobs.