to help business prosper
Labor force participation rates for Oregon’s counties in 2019 ranged from a high in Hood River County of 78.9 percent to a low in Curry County of 44.1 percent.
Generally, counties located in the Northern part of Oregon, and especially in the Columbia River Gorge, had higher LFPRs in 2019. Counties located along the coast, and in the Southern and Eastern parts of Oregon generally had lower LFPRs.
Labor force participation rates for Oregon’s counties in 2019 ranged from a high in Hood River County of 78.9 percent to a low in Curry County of 44.1 percent.
Generally, counties located in the Northern part of Oregon, and especially in the Columbia River Gorge, had higher LFPRs in 2019. Counties located along the coast, and in the Southern and Eastern parts of Oregon generally had lower LFPRs.
In June 2020, all 36 of Oregon’s counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. In 16 of Oregon’s 36 counties, unemployment rates dropped by 3 percentage points or more. Clatsop County experienced the largest over-the-month decrease at 8.1 percentage points. Counties with the smallest percentage point changes in their unemployment rates since May 2020 include Wheeler
COVID-19 rapidly spread across the United States and forced a patchwork of shutdowns that reduced business activity in order to save lives. Oregon is no exception as the “Stay Home, Save Lives” executive order was put into effect on March 23rd which enforced social distancing rules. Faced with few options, organizations who could shift to remote work did as a means to survive COVID-19. A study
Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 56,600 jobs in June, following a gain of 26,100 jobs in May. Over the past two months, employers added back nearly one-third of the jobs that were cut in March and April. Over-the-month job gains in June were largest in leisure and hospitality (+31,400 jobs); retail trade (+6,800); health care and social assistance (+6,200); and other services (+
The Oregon Employment Department Research section released its latest report, Turning Point 2020: Oregon’s Workforce from Expansion to Pandemic in June 2020. The report examines Oregon’s employment landscape from the end of the state’s longest economic expansion to the beginning of COVID-19 related record job losses. Here is an executive summary:
• Oregon’s unemployment rate rose from a
This Friday June 19, celebrate freedom by celebrating Juneteenth! Short for “June Nineteenth,” Juneteenth commemorates the 1865 arrival of federal troops in Galveston, Texas, to ensure that all enslaved people be freed. Their arrival was over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African-American holiday (read more at
“Although Oregon experienced job gains due to the limited resumption of economic activity in May, over the past three months of the COVID-19 pandemic job losses have totaled 243,500. Historically, this loss is unprecedented and currently thousands of Oregonians are still suffering the economic realities of being unemployed,” said Anna Johnson, Senior Economic Analyst with the Oregon Employment
Oregon’s minimum wage increases on July 1, 2020, but the raises won’t be the same across the state. The minimum wage increases to $13.25 per hour inside the Portland urban growth boundary, $11.50 per hour in nonurban counties, and $12.00 in other areas of the state.
Oregon’s minimum wage levels were set by Senate Bill 1532 in 2016. The minimum wage increases on July 1 each year through 2022.
COVID-19 Impact
April seasonally adjusted unemployment rates are not available for Oregon counties due to processing delays caused by large increases in unemployment. Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates are being used for this news release. They reflect April’s increase in unemployment related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for April will be available on