Press Release: Employment Reports Delayed Again After Federal Government Shutdown (Photo) - 11/19/25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 19, 2025
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Gail Krumenauer, State Employment Economist
(971) 301-3771
Video and Audio available at 10 a.m. PT
David Cooke, Economist (971) 375-5288
Employment Reports Delayed Again After Federal Government Shutdown
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has resumed production of the monthly employment reports for the nation on a delayed schedule after the lapse in federal government appropriations that began on Oct. 1, 2025.
The most recent update from the BLS on Wednesday, Nov. 19 says, “BLS will not publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release. Establishment survey data from the Current Employment Statistics survey for October 2025 will be published with the November 2025 data. Household survey data from the Current Population Survey could not be collected for the October 2025 reference period due to a lapse in appropriations. The household survey data is not able to be retroactively collected. The collection period for November 2025 data will be extended for both surveys, and extra processing time will be added.”
Currently, Oregon’s monthly nonfarm job estimates and unemployment rate are still not available beyond August 2025 and publication dates for the states and metropolitan areas have not been announced.
As of August, preliminary estimates showed Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.0%, and employers added 6,900 jobs to nonfarm payrolls. In the absence of these current, principle monthly indicators, the Oregon Employment Department’s Workforce and Economic Research Division continues tracking trends in the department’s other data sources to assess the labor market. These include job vacancies and unemployment insurance claims.
Oregon’s latest quarterly job vacancy survey results show hiring demand remained generally stable over the past year, but did not increase as much as would typically occur mid-year. Oregon’s private employers have reported between about 50,000 and 54,000 job vacancies at any given time from October 2024 to September 2025.
Claims for unemployment insurance (UI) show a partial picture, as only a portion of all unemployed Oregonians are eligible for these benefits. First-time or initial UI claims in recent weeks appeared to be within the typical range for this time of year. Ongoing or continued claims have followed seasonal trends, but at elevated levels compared with recent years. Oregon has averaged 33,600 continued claims per week so far in 2025, about 5,600 (or 20%) higher than the average during the same timeframe in 2024.
Next Press Releases
The BLS will update its revised news release schedule as new information becomes available. The Oregon Employment Department plans to highlight the latest available local labor market news on QualityInfo.org on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Research Division’s schedule of future releases will be updated as federal partner agencies issue more guidance.
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