The warm summer months are historically the best time of year for finding new employment opportunities in the state of Oregon.  July is the month when construction, agriculture, timber and other outdoor work all hit their high water marks.

According to Oregon’s employment department, WorkSource Oregon, job growth in the state and the region was dampened last month, as slight increases in unemployment were reported in all five counties in the Portland metropolitan region.

WorkSource Oregon reported that 187,407 Oregonians were unable to find employment in the month of June, an estimated 9.4 percent of the state’s workforce, and an increase of 0.2 percent from the month of May. The national unemployment rate also rose slightly in May to 9.2 percent.

The news was considerably brighter for job seekers in Oregon’s three largest counties, where the seasonally adjusted unemployment figures rose slightly to 8.6 percent in Clackamas County; 8.5 percent in Multnomah County; and 7.7 percent in Washington County.  An estimated 80,697 workers in the tri-county region were still struggling to find work last month.

Oregon’s highest unemployment levels continue to be in central and eastern Oregon, leaving 15.3 percent unemployed in Crook County, and 14.2 percent jobless in Harney County.  But these high numbers impact only 1,762 workers in the two sparsely-populated counties.

Oregon’s lowest unemployment levels continue to be in Gilliam County, where only 5.9 percent of the workforce is unemployed.  But this equals fewer than 100 residents of the north central Oregon county, populated by the rural communities of Condon and Arlington.

According to WorkSource Oregon, the seasonal gains in outdoor job opportunities were largely offset by job losses in other sectors, especially among public school districts and local colleges. While school districts in both Clackamas and Washington counties laid off 100 workers at the end of the school year, public schools and colleges in Multnomah County cut back 2,100 positions last month. Even Yamhill County, with a workforce estimated at 10 percent of neighboring Washington County, educational institutions reportedly trimmed 1,010 workers in the month of June, bumping the unemployment rate to 9.3 percent county wide.  

Despite growing populations in all three urban counties, state workforce analysts found no changes in job counts in either Clackamas or Multnomah counties, compared to June of last year.  Washington County posted gains of 2,500 jobs in the past 12 months, while Yamhill County reportedly has lost 130 jobs.

To learn more, see Westside’s economic and demographic indicators.