Oregon’s Unemployment Rate 4.4% in February

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in February and 4.3 percent in January. Oregon’s unemployment rate has ranged between 4.0 percent and 4.4 percent since November 2016, with the low of 4.0 percent occurring in May, June, and July 2018. The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 3.8 percent in February from 4.0 percent in January.

Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in February (-500 jobs), following a revised, large gain of 12,800 jobs in January. Employment in financial activities, government, and construction continued to trend up, while transportation, warehousing and utilities decreased.

Since February 2018, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment increased by 29,500 jobs, or 1.5 percent. This growth rate was in line with the most recent nine months in which annual gains averaged 29,100 jobs. Over the past 12 months, the U.S. expanded at a slightly faster rate of 1.7 percent.

In February, employment in financial activities gained 900 jobs. Over the year, financial activities has added 1,200 jobs, or 1.2 percent. Government expanded by 700 jobs in February and since February 2018, it rose by 4,700 jobs, or 1.6 percent. Construction added 600 jobs in February. Construction led all industries with over??'the-year growth of 4,600 jobs, or 4.4 percent.

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities was the only major industry experiencing a large employment decline in February. It cut 1,800 jobs for the month, following a gain of 700 in January. Despite the drop in February, the industry grew rapidly in the second half of 2018, and has been the second fastest growing industry in the past 12 months, adding 2,400 jobs, or 3.8 percent in that time.

One component of the transportation industry, couriers and messengers, has expanded rapidly since 2013. Employment jumped 56 percent over that period, and stood at 9,800 jobs in February 2019. UPS and FedEx are included in this industry, which has become more highly seasonal with employment ramping up by 4,100 jobs during October through December 2018, then declining 3,800 jobs by February.

Warehousing and storage – an industry dominated by warehouses of major national retailers – grew rapidly over the past three years. It employed 9,900 in February, a gain of 2,500 since February 2016.

Next Press Releases

The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the February county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, March 26th, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for March on Tuesday, April 16th.

Notes:

All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted, except the transportation and warehousing component industries.

The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources. This press release incorporates, for the first time, the annual revisions to the data for 2018 and prior years.

The PDF version of the news release, including tables and graphs, can be found at www.QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit www.QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.

For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon centers or go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.

Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

The Employment Appeals Board (EAB) is amending Oregon Administrative Rules 471-041-0050, 471-041-0060, 471-041-0065, 471-041-0070, 471-041-0075, 471-041-0080, 471-041-0090, 471-041-0100, and 471-041-0145, which set forth the rules applicable to EAB’s review of unemployment insurance benefits orders issued by the Office of Administrative Hearings, define terms, and establish procedures. The proposed amendments will expand parties’ filing options, remove procedural barriers to EAB’s review of parties’ arguments and reconsideration requests, establish objective standards, and bring transparency to some of EAB’s discretionary functions. In order to ensure that EAB’s processes are as objective and transparent as possible, EAB is:

1. Updating terminology to be consistent with how the Office of Administrative Hearings refers to its unemployment insurance benefits orders, to make it easier for parties to access EAB review and understand instructions and references pertaining to EAB review;
2. Expanding the methods by which parties may file applications for review and written arguments to include email and other electronic means;
3. Defining filing dates for the new filing methods;
4. Simplifying filing date definitions for existing filing methods;
5. Aligning EAB filing procedures and definitions with those used by the Employment Department and Office of Administrative Hearings earlier during the unemployment insurance benefits appeals process to make it easier for parties to access EAB review;
6. Removing procedural barriers to EAB’s consideration of parties’ written arguments and requests for reconsideration;
7. Establishing objective standards and transparency of decision-making with respect to EAB’s consideration of additional evidence and written argument extension requests;
8. Clarifying the process applicable to applications for review filed by individuals who failed to appear at the unemployment insurance hearing but whose requests for hearing were not dismissed because of their failure to appear; and
9. Updating and clarifying what EAB must include in EAB decisions.

These changes to not diminish or limit the right to due process UI benefit recipients, employers, or the agency have in requesting EAB review of an unemployment insurance hearing order.

Click here for a copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which includes the Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact, and the proposed amended rule text.

Written comments may be submitted via e-mail to ules@oregon.gov">OED_Rules@oregon.gov by Friday, April 26, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. All comments received will be given equal consideration before the department proceeds with the permanent rulemaking.       

For more information on this, and other Employment Department Administrative Rules, visit our website: http://www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/Agency/Pages/OED_Administrative_Rules.aspx

The Employment Department is promulgating changes to Oregon Administrative Rule 471-010-0125. This rule outlines the requirements for entities to have access to Employment Department information. The rule changes are to exempt the Internal Revenue Service from the auditing requirements, based on federal guidance. 

Click here for a copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which includes the Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact, and the proposed amended rule text.

Written comments may be submitted via e-mail to ules@oregon.gov">OED_Rules@oregon.gov by Friday, April 26, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. All comments received will be given equal consideration before the department proceeds with the permanent rulemaking.       

For more information on this, and other Employment Department Administrative Rules, visit our website: http://www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/Agency/Pages/OED_Administrative%20Rules.aspx

Oregon Adds 11,000 Jobs in January

In January, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 11,000 jobs, following a revised loss of 1,700 jobs in December. Six industries each added at least 1,000 jobs in January. Strong gains in the goods-producing industries topped the list as manufacturing added 2,500 jobs and construction added 1,800. Four other industries added at least 1,000 jobs: retail trade (+1,600 jobs), professional and business services (+1,400), health care and social assistance (+1,400), and private educational services (+1,000). None of Oregon’s major industries cut a substantial number of jobs in January.

Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment increased by 28,200 jobs, or 1.5 percent, since January 2018. This growth rate was in line with the most recent eight months in which annual gains averaged 29,000 jobs, but a deceleration from more than 40,000 jobs added during each of the prior five years.

In the past 12 months, transportation, warehousing, and utilities grew at the fastest rate of the major industries, expanding by 3,800 jobs or 5.9 percent. Construction, which grew very rapidly in recent years, cooled somewhat in the past 12 months, as it added 4,100 jobs or 4.0 percent. Manufacturing (+6,600 jobs, or 3.4%) was the only other industry that grew by well over 2 percent. Contributing to the state’s overall slowing were six of Oregon’s major industries whose employment was within 500 jobs of January 2018 levels. On the downside, retail trade (-1,800 jobs, or -0.8%) was the only major industry to cut jobs substantially in the past 12 months.

Durable goods manufacturing has accelerated during the past four months. The industry expanded rapidly over the past 12 months, up 4.5 percent since January 2018. These component industries each posted impressive gains in that time: machinery manufacturing (+1,100 jobs, or 8.0%), primary metal manufacturing (+600 jobs, or 7.2%), semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing (+1,500 jobs, or 5.1%), and transportation equipment manufacturing (+500 jobs, or 4.2%).

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in January, the same as the revised rates of 4.3 percent for both November and December. Annual revisions to the labor force data show that Oregon’s unemployment rate has ranged between 4.0 percent and 4.3 percent since December 2016, with the low of 4.0 percent occurring in May, June, and July 2018.

Next Press Releases

The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the January county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, March 12th, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for February on Tuesday, March 19th.

Notes:

All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted, except the durable goods manufacturing component industries.

The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources. This press release incorporates, for the first time, the annual revisions to the data for 2018 and prior years.

The PDF version of the news release, including tables and graphs, can be found at www.QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit www.QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.

For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon centers or go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.

Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.