PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s economy is gathering steam. The state Employment Department says the state added nearly 10,000 jobs in February, the largest jump since before the Great Recession.
The increase was the largest one-month rise in employment since November 1996. Construction numbers were up notably, and the Employment Department says that critical sector of the economy “appears to have turned the corner and headed upward.”
But the impact of job growth did not show up dramatically in the unemployment rate, which was 10.2 percent in February.
Statistically, that’s essentially unchanged from January’s 10.4 percent. Even with job growth, the rate will remain high as more discouraged workers begin looking for jobs again.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, Oregon’s work force numbers nearly 2 million people.
