Over two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oregon economy is continuing to improve.
The Oregon Employment Department (OED) released its latest figures Tuesday, and the numbers look good – or at least, they look better.
The state unemployment rate in February went down to 4.0% from January’s 4.2%, though this still remains slightly above the national average of 3.8% in February. This is, though, the lowest that Oregon’s unemployment rate has been since before the pandemic.
February’s largest job gains came in the leisure and hospitality fields, with construction, health care, and business services as runner-ups. Oregon’s total added nonfarm payroll jobs in February were roughly 12,300 – the largest monthly gain since July.
In Corvallis, the unemployment rate was at 3.3% in January. Slightly higher from December of 2021 when it was at 2.6% – likely due to holiday workers and fewer students in town. Benton County as a whole has a rate of 3.6% or lower.
The OED said that last month’s milder weather allowed a large amount of growth, especially for outdoor professions such as roofing and construction that were able to wrap up work.
By Ethan Hauck
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