New numbers just released show Oregon’s unemployment problem could be worse than the numbers state.
Oregon’s unemployment rate in 2012 was 8.1%, but when it comes to the unemployment figures you have to dig beneath the surface to get a true picture of the problem.
173,300 Oregonians were unemployed in 2012. There were almost as many, 167,800 people, who were either under-employed or unemployed in but not included in the unemployment statistics.
Under-employed means a person wants or needs to work full-time, but can only find part-time work.
Anyone who is unemployed who goes beyond four weeks without actively seeking a job is not counted as unemployed by the government..
It’s estimated that in 2012 there were about 4500 Oregonians who gave up looking for a job altogether. In 2011 that number was double at over 9000.
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