Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped in April, fueled by gains in the service sector, health care and social services.
The Oregon Employment Department said Wednesday that the jobless rate fell to an even 4% last month, down from 4.4% the previous month.
Nurses work together to turn a patient over in the intensive care unit at Oregon Health and Science University in this Aug. 19, 2021 file photo. Oregon continued to see gains in the health care sector in April, adding 900 jobs.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The sector experiencing the largest growth gained 1,700 jobs in a variety of service establishments, such as repair, maintenance, laundry, religious organizations and social advocacy organizations. Employment in that broad category rose to 66,000 in April, reaching a record high, and for the first time surpassed its pre-pandemic peak of 65,500 in February 2020.
Health care gained 900 jobs, continuing a yearlong trend in which the sector has added 11,500 jobs for a 4.3% increase.
“Oregon’s unemployment rate remains low by historical standards,” state employment economist Gail Krumenauer said in a statement. “And Oregon continues to see job growth. Employers have added about 38,000 jobs over the past year.”
But some sectors didn’t fare as well, including manufacturing of both durable and nondurable goods, as well as other areas of the work force.
“Over the past 12 months, we saw a decline of 2,200 jobs in retail trade, and we saw a loss of about 2,000 jobs each in financial activities and in transportation, warehousing and utilities,” Krumenauer said.
Oregon’s unemployment rate remains slightly above the national average, which was 3.4% in April.