The state employment department reported Tuesday Oregon's unemployment rate rose last month to 7.2 percent.
State Labor Economist Nick Belieciks:
Belieciks: "The unemployment rate increase in August wasn’t caused by more people losing their jobs. It had to do with a large increase in Oregon's labor force. This can happen because of faster population growth or when more people start looking for work because they feel their job prospects are improving."
The Employment Department reported the labor force rose by more than 8,000. That reflects people moving to Oregon as well as Oregonians joining, or rejoining, the search for work.
A survey of employers shows that fewer jobs were added in august — about 29-hundred. Oregon's jobless rate was 6.9 percent in July. The numbers are seasonally adjusted.
