Employment numbers down in Oregon

SALEM, Ore. – Employment numbers in Oregon have declined for the second time since rapid gains were seen earlier this year.

The Oregon Employment Department (ODE) said nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 3,800 jobs this September. This follows a revised loss of 7,000 in August. The losses come after substantial gains from February through July where the state saw a gain of 42,600 jobs.

According to ODE, recent forest fires don’t seem to have impacted September’s employment numbers, though many businesses were impacted.

A substantial amount of last month’s job losses came from the leisure and hospitality industries, with 3,700 jobs cut. ODE attributes the losses to the state’s tight labor market.

The professional and business service sector cut back 3,100 jobs, which is typical for this time of year.

ODE said other industries saw a gain in employment, including health care, social assistance, construction, government and manufacturing.

The unemployment rate in September was 4.2%, compared with 4.1% in the previous month. The overall U.S. unemployment rate in September was also 4.2%, ODE said.

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