Oregon’s unemployment rate has slightly ticked up over the last year, a trend that continued in February.

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. That industry added about 14,000 jobs.

The industries that shed the most jobs over the last year include construction, retail and manufacturing, losing a combined 9,600 jobs.

Krumenauer said the state’s unemployment rate has been gradually creeping up, but is well below the pandemic spike and comparable to some pre-pandemic years.

“It’s low by historical standards,” Krumenauer said in a video released Wednesday. “At 4.5%, Oregon’s unemployment rate is the highest we’ve seen in about 3.5 years,”

Recent federal job cuts have had little impact on the state’s overall unemployment rate so far. State data shows Oregon had about 300 fewer federal jobs this February compared to last year.

Rebecca Hansen-White is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/26/oregon-unemployment-rate-february-2025/