Groundhog Day: C. Oregon jobless rates keep falling
Businesses continued to hire across Deschutes County last month, in spite of historically low unemployment levels, making it challenging to find qualified workers, an Oregon Employment Department regional economist said Tuesday as he released May’s jobless-rate figures for the region.
Economist Damon Runberg said Deschutes County has posted 70 consecutive months of over-the-year job gains. The unemployment rate reached historically low levels in Crook and Jefferson counties, despite fairly typical spring hiring by local businesses.
Runberg put it this way in the note accompanying this month’s figures: “As Phil (Bill Murray) from Groundhog Day stated so eloquently, ‘Well, it’s Groundhog Day… again…’ We saw another month of historically low unemployment levels and seasonal hiring. There are no signs that the current employment gains are slowing, despite a shortage of labor.”
Crook County: The unemployment rate remains at historically low levels this spring. The unemployment rate was little changed in May at 5.6 percent. The rate was 5.7 percent in April and 7.2 percent in May 2016.
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 130 jobs in May, fairly typical gains for this time of year.
Compared to this time last year, there are around 110 additional jobs in nonfarm businesses, a gain of around 2 percent. Crook County has posted 18 consecutive months of over-the-year job gains. Over the past year employment gains were largely concentrated in the construction industry (+80 jobs). There were few declines in the private sector with wood product manufacturing
(-20 jobs) posting the only notable losses of the major industry sectors. There was a decline of 40 jobs over the past year in the public sector with those losses split between federal and local entities.
Deschutes County (Bend-Redmond MSA): The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained little changed at the historic low rate of 3.5 percent. The unemployment rate was 3.6 percent last month and 5.0 percent in May 2016. The county posted notable gains in the labor force over the past year (+4.5%) due to the county adding over 5,000 employed residents.
Deschutes County added 1,320 jobs in May. These job gains were consistent with seasonal hiring for this time of year. As expected, leisure and hospitality and construction accounted for the bulk of monthly job gains as we approach peak tourism and building season. Less expected was the gain of 110 manufacturing jobs, an industry not known to hire this time of year.
Over-the-year employment gains continue to hover around 5 percent, +3,900 jobs from May 2016. Deschutes County has not posted an over-the-year job loss since July 2011, a string of 70 consecutive months of job gains compared to the previous year.
Despite a historically low unemployment rate, the county continues to maintain strong employment gains. Employment growth is coming from a variety of industries with the bulk of these jobs concentrated in health services (+830 jobs); construction (+630 jobs); and professional and business services (+460 jobs).
Jefferson County: The unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in May, down significantly from 5.2 percent in April. Jefferson County recorded the lowest unemployment rate in series history going back to 1990. The rate is down significantly from last May when it was 7.0 percent.
Jefferson County added 120 jobs in May, fewer than the 170 jobs typically expected this time of year.
Total nonfarm employment is up 60 jobs from this time last year (+0.9%). Employment levels remain below its pre-recession peak by 240 jobs. Indian tribal government (-50) and retail trade (-30 jobs) were the only sectors to post significant job losses. The only notable gains were in manufacturing (+90) and education and health services (+30).
Next Press Releases
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the June county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, July 25 th and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data on Tuesday, July 18 th .
