Oregon began 2026 on a positive note jobs-wise, according to the latest report from the Oregon Employment Department.
The state’s seasonally-adjusted jobs number showed an increase of 2,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate also ticked down a tenth of a percentage point from December, landing at 5.2%.
The report also revised December’s rate up to 5.3%.
The largest gains were seen in leisure and hospitality (+1,800 jobs), health care and social assistance (+1,500) and construction (+1,000), while the largest losses came in manufacturing (-1,500 jobs) and professional and business services (-1,300).
“It was encouraging to see that there was a gain of 2,000 non-farm payroll jobs in January,” said OED Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer. “That stands in contrast to the broader losses that we’ve seen. Oregon employers dropped 18,600 jobs over the past year."
Those losses were spread out across the year. Only three months posted gains in 2025, with several sectors posting notable losses.
“We’re looking at several sectors that have seen notable job losses over the past year,” she said. “Professional and business services lost more than 7,000 jobs over the year. There was a loss of 4,000 jobs each in manufacturing and retail trade.”
She also noted losses in the federal government and information sectors.
The January report is normally delayed until March as revisions are made to reports from the past year, but this year’s report was further delayed due to ongoing impacts of missed data gathering during the 2025 government shutdown.
