The Oregon Employment Department in their September press release reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 6,900 jobs in August, following a revised gain of 100 jobs in July.
August’s gains were largest in health care and social assistance (+2,500 jobs); leisure and hospitality (+1,500 jobs); government (+1,100 jobs); and other services (+1,000 jobs). Losses were largest in wholesale trade (-1,100 jobs).
Health care and social assistance continued its rapid expansion of the past several years, adding 11,600 jobs (3.8%) during the past 12 months. Nursing and residential care facilities added 400 jobs in August and 3,900 jobs (6.8%) since August 2024. Hospitals, which added no jobs in August, grew the second fastest of health care’s component industries in the past 12 months (+2,900 jobs or 4.6%). Social assistance (+2,400 jobs or 3.0%) and ambulatory health care services (+2,300 jobs or 2.2%) had slower growth over the year.
Leisure and hospitality grew 2.0% in the past 12 months, gaining 4,100 jobs, following little change the prior two years. Since last August, most of its published component industries added between 2% and 4%. Amusement, gambling, and recreation grew the fastest, adding 1,500 jobs or 6.7%. In contrast, full-service restaurants cut 1,200 jobs or 1.8%.
Wholesale trade declined rapidly in the past 12 months (-4,300 jobs or -5.5%). All three wholesale component industries shrank substantially in that time: merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods (-1,500 jobs or -4.9%); merchant wholesalers, durable goods (-1,000 jobs or -2.5%); and wholesale trade agents and brokers (-900 jobs or -13.0%).
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.0% in August and 4.9% (as revised) in July after rising gradually over the past year from 4.2% in August 2024. Oregon’s 5.0% unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points higher than the recent low of 3.6% during spring 2023. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% in July and 4.3% in August.
