Central Oregon jobless rates fall in July, but job recovery stalls
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The employment recovery slowed dramatically in July across Central Oregon, following much stronger job growth in May and June, a sign that COVID-19-related business impacts have far from abated, the state's regional economist said Tuesday.
Here's the full July report issued by Oregon Employment Department Regional Economist Damon Runberg:
Crook County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 11.7 percent in July, down from 13.3 percent in June. The unemployment rate is still much higher than before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; it was 4.8 percent in March.
Total nonfarm employment rose by 90 jobs in July, on a seasonally adjusted basis, continuing the recovery from the initial COVID-19 shock in April.
The county shed around 800 jobs during the first few months of the COVID-19 crisis, but has since regained roughly 150 of the jobs lost. As of July, seasonally adjusted employment levels remain down by around 10 percent, compared with March.
Employment levels remain down significantly from July 2019 in leisure and hospitality (-230 jobs); manufacturing (-100 jobs); and retail trade (-70 jobs).
Deschutes County (Bend-Redmond MSA): The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 10.8 percent in July, down from 12.4 percent in June. The rate remains significantly higher than before the COVID-19 crisis; it was 3.3 percent in March.
Deschutes County’s recovery continued, but at a much slower pace in July. The county added 660 jobs in July, on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a gain of more than 3,000 jobs in June.
There were around 79,900 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in Deschutes County in July, down from 88,880 in February (-10.1%). The county lost around 14,860 jobs during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis and has since added back around 5,890 jobs.
Put another way, Deschutes County has recovered roughly 40 percent of the jobs lost since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employment levels remain down for all major industry sectors, compared with this time last year, with the exception of mining, logging, and construction (+210 jobs). The most significant job losses remain in leisure and hospitality (-3,230 jobs); private education and health services (-910 jobs); retail trade (-720 jobs); and professional and business services (-710 jobs).
Jefferson County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.3 percent in July, down from 13.3 percent in June. The rate remains up significantly from before the COIVD-19 crisis; it was 4.2 percent in March.
Jefferson County’s recovery stalled in July, as the county added just 10 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a gain of more than 170 in June.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment levels in Jefferson County dropped by 1,260 jobs during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, and the county has only regained around 180 of those jobs through July. Employment levels remain down more than 16 percent from before the onset of the crisis.
Similar to other communities, the hardest-hit industry is leisure and hospitality, with employment levels down 270 jobs from this time last year. However, there also remain large losses in Indian tribal government (-210 jobs) and manufacturing (-180 jobs).
Next Press Releases
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the August county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for August on Tuesday, Sept. 15th.
