Portland – Oregon’s unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in December, down from 5 percent the prior month, according to data out Wednesday from the Oregon Employment Department.
Oregon employment grew at 2.9 percent in 2016, almost twice as fast as the national rate. Unemployment nationally fell sharply last month, too, from 5.3 percent to 4.7 percent.
Oregon added 5,000 jobs in December, faster than the monthly average of 4,400 over the prior year. Business services and government offices added the most jobs.
