Unemployment

The small, incremental increases in the unemployment rate so far this year are adding up, according to Oregon’s employment economist.

State Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer said at this point it’s still difficult to see the impacts of federal workforce reduction efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

If you received jobless benefits in Oregon last year and you’ve already filed this year’s taxes, you may need to amend your returns.

State employment economist Gail Krumenauer said the most recent data, released Wednesday, shows job growth is concentrated in a few sectors — mostly health care and social assistance.

As the Trump administration pushes to dramatically downsize the federal government, new data released this week show a big uptick in federal workers applying for unemployment benefits in Washington state.

Senate Bill 916 has been one of the most hotly debated bills of this year's legislative session.

The state determines the employer rate each November based on the previous year’s demand for the fund.

Washington state lost $647 million from identity theft and unemployment benefits fraud during the pandemic.

The Oregon Employment Department is cutting back hours for its customer service phone lines. Starting June 4 the agency is permanently changing its phone line hours to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., down from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department is also temporarily shutting down the lines on Mondays.

Some Oregonians seeking unemployment insurance benefits are frustrated over long wait times to resolve application issues. The concerns follow the employment department’s rollout of a new website.