Oregon’s unemployment rate went up one-tenth of a percentage point in June, marking the sixth consecutive month of such growth.
The state lost 4,300 jobs last month. The largest losses came in the manufacturing (-1,200 jobs), leisure and hospitality (-1,000 jobs), retail trade (-700 jobs), and professional and business services (-700 jobs) sectors.
The public sector also shrank, losing 600 jobs. All losses came in the federal government subsector.
The small, incremental increases in the unemployment rate so far this year are adding up, according to Oregon’s employment economist.
"We’ve seen it tick up one-tenth of a percentage point each month so far this year. So that’s little change from month-to-month, but the larger effect is that we’ve seen the unemployment rate rise from 4.3% at the end of last year to 4.9% in June," said Gail Krumenauer.
Health care and social assistance remains a bright spot in Oregon’s job market. It added another 900 jobs last month, and has grown by nearly 16,000 jobs in the past year.
Other sectors that added jobs in June include wholesale trade (+500 jobs), information (+500 jobs), and transportation, warehousing and utilities (+300 jobs).
