Oregon added 6,900 jobs in August, according to the latest report from the state.
The state had reported monthly losses in each report since April.
“Although it’s encouraging to see job growth resume in August, much of the story that we have been seeing over the past several months is still happening in Oregon,” said Oregon employment economist Gail Krumenauer in a video statement.
That story, she said, includes a year-over-year loss of more than 18,000 jobs. She also said new jobs in that time have been concentrated in the private healthcare and social assistance sector, while manufacturing has seen heavy losses.
The health care and social assistance sector continued to lead growth with 2,500 new jobs, while the leisure and hospitality sector added 1,500 jobs.
Manufacturing added 900 jobs, going against the long-term trend Krumenauer noted. The strongest losses were in the wholesale trade sector, which lost 1,100 jobs.
The report revised July’s employment rate to 4.9%, meaning the rate stayed flat from June to July but increased by a tenth of a percentage point last month.
Oregon’s unemployment rate has not gone down month-to-month since February of 2023.
