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| Oregon statewide unemployment rate for June 2010 |
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CONTACT: David Cooke, Economist
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.5 percent in June, essentially unchanged from 10.6 percent in May. The rate has been between 10.5 and 10.7 percent for the most recent eight months. Oregon’s unemployment rate was 11.6 percent in June 2009, which tied May 2009 as Oregon’s highest unemployment rate since the early 1980s. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent in June from 9.7 percent in May. In June, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 3,600, following a gain of 2,600 (as revised) in May. Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data) There was a substantial upward revision to the May payroll employment numbers. The originally reported seasonally adjusted totals showed no change between April and May. Revised numbers show a gain of 2,600 jobs. The upward revisions were spread across several service-providing industries: government; educational and health services; professional and business services; and trade, transportation, and utilities. Government shed 3,500 jobs in June at a time of year when a loss of only 300 is expected due to seasonality. The ending of work for 2,611 intermittent Census workers reduced both federal government and total government for June, subtracting from the 6,403 individuals who were working for the Census in May. Both state government and local government performed in line with normal seasonal patterns in June, and both are close to their respective employment levels of June 2009. Professional and business services took a sudden drop of 2,500 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in June, following a flat seasonally adjusted trend since October. Much of the decline in June was due to below-normal hiring in the component industry “administrative and waste services”. This industry is down 3,700 jobs over the past 12 months with job losses in all of its component categories. The closely watched employment services industry employed only 27,000 in June, which was 700 below its year-ago level. The expansion in this industry seen in recent quarters has stalled in the most recent months. Services to buildings and dwellings is also down substantially over the year, with a loss of 1,000 jobs since last June. This industry continues to see declines even though the broader economy is arguably in recovery. Trade, transportation, and utilities added 1,500 jobs in June, about its typical June seasonal pattern. However, its component industries saw differing trends. Retail trade dropped again in June, losing 2,100 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. This was the third consecutive such job loss. Motor vehicle and parts dealers cut 300 jobs in June. This retail industry suffered a huge drop in business within the past two years. It has recovered somewhat over the past year, pushing up employment by 700 since June 2009. However, employing a total of 22,400 jobs in June, it is still well below its typical June of close to 27,000 for the years 1999 through 2008. Wholesale trade continued to rebound, having added 2,700 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis since its low in November 2009. In June, transportation, warehousing, and utilities shot up 1,100 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. Truck transportation added 200 jobs in June but is still down 1,400 from its June 2009 level. Financial activities rose 300 in June to 93,000, a level it has been close to for the first six months of 2010. Real estate and rental and leasing added 600 jobs in June but remained below 36,000, which is near its lowest level of the past 15 years and well below its peak of near 45,000 of nearly three years ago. Insurance carriers cut 200 in June to reach 25,000. This industry’s employment has been trending downward since early 2008, when nearly 27,000 were employed. Educational and health services cut only 2,400 jobs in June, when a loss of 4,100 is the normal seasonal pattern. Private educational services was the primary reason for the better-than-normal showing in June, as the published figure was a cut of only 1,600 jobs during the start of the summer break. Employing 28,800, educational services was 200 above its year-ago figure. Health care and social assistance cut 800 jobs in June and was up only 600 since June 2009. Over the past 20 years, health care employment had been growing at one of the fastest and most steady paces of all the industries. However, within the past six months to a year several of its component industries have slowed or even declined in terms of job counts. Ambulatory health care services is down 1,200 since June 2009 and hospitals have shed 400 in that time. Nursing and residential care facilities, while up by 1,300 jobs over the year, has cut back by 600 since its peak figure in February. Social assistance cut 600 in June, but is up 900 since June 2009. Construction added 2,100 jobs in June as it ramped up for the busy summer building season. This gain, which came from all published industry components, was close to the normal gain for the time of year. The industry typically adds thousands of additional workers in July and August, followed by cutbacks in subsequent months. With the typical gain for June, construction continued to hold close to 65,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, where it has been hovering all year. Manufacturing added only 2,200 jobs in June, when its normal seasonal pattern calls for a gain of 2,800. Food manufacturing added 900 to reach 24,400, its highest June employment level since 1998. This is one of the few manufacturing industries in Oregon that has seen increasing employment in recent years. Conversely, many of the durable goods manufacturing industries continue to shed workers. Durable goods is down 4,200 since June 2009, with cutbacks seen in the following industries over the past year: wood products (-900 jobs), fabricated metals ( 1,300), machinery ( 1,400), computer and electronic products (-500), and transportation equipment (-700). Unemployment (Household Survey Data) The unemployment rate dropped significantly since reaching a peak one year ago. June 2009 saw Oregon’s highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in nearly three decades, reaching 11.6 percent. Similarly, the number of unemployed Oregonians has dropped substantially, by more than 25,000 over that 12-month period. In June, 203,884 Oregonians were unemployed. In June 2009, 229,471 Oregonians were unemployed. The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the June county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Monday, July 19th and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for July on August 17th. For the complete version of the news release, including tables and graphs, visit: www.QualityInfo.org/pressrelease. If you need this release in the Spanish language, please contact Loretta Gallegos as 503-947-1794. For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon Centers or go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.
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