ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
The State of Oregon has added 37,400 new jobs over the past 12 months, with solid gains in Construction (+11,600), Education & Health Services (+9,000), and Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+8,000) sectors. Year-over-year, employment in Oregon has risen 2.0%.
In September, the state unemployment rate was 4.2%—up from 3.7% at the end of the second quarter but down from 4.9% in September 2016. The civilian labor force continues to grow and I fully anticipate that the state’s economy will perform well in 2018, though somewhat slower than 2017. |