PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s unemployment rate continues to fall, but that figure masks a slowdown in job creation that’s consistent with the softening of the national economy.
The state Employment Department said Tuesday that, on balance, Oregon has added only a few hundred jobs since March.
That follows a stretch from October through February when Oregon gained nearly 6,000 jobs a month.
The unemployment rate is based on a survey of households. State officials say it can take time for the impact of hiring and layoff decisions to show up in the survey results.
As of May, the unemployment rate stood at 9.3 percent, just two-tenths of a percentage point above the national average. During the recession, Oregon’s rate was second highest in the nation. In April it was tied for 11th highest.
