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Employment Dept. News & Information
Oregon Employment Department

November Statewide Unemployment Rate
12/12/2005
 
Contact: David Cooke, economist
Oregon Employment Department
(503) 947-1272
 
 
Oregon’s Employment Situation: November 2005  
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.8 percent in November compared with 5.9 percent as revised in October. October and November were the first months since April 2001 in which Oregon’s rate has been below 6.0 percent. In April 2001, the rate was 5.9 percent. Oregon’s unemployment rate has not been at or below 5.8 percent since March 2001, when the rate was 5.6 percent.
 
In November, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 3,600 jobs during a month when a loss of 4,000 would have been the typical seasonal trend. This strong showing for the employment numbers was partially offset by a downward revision of 3,100 jobs to the October payroll employment total. Since November 2004, payroll employment is up 50,800 jobs, or 3.1 percent.
 
 
Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)
In November, seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment grew by 7,600. This followed a seasonally adjusted loss of 1,900 jobs in October. Taken together, payroll employment is up an average of 2,900 jobs per month in October and November.
 
In November, four of the major industries — trade, transportation, and utilities; educational and health services; construction; and manufacturing — performed much more strongly than their typical seasonal trend. Conversely, the leisure and hospitality industry cut back more severely than its normal seasonal trend.
 
  • Trade, transportation, and utilities showed the largest seasonally adjusted gain of the major industries by adding 4,100 jobs for the month. Trade posted resurgent numbers in November. Retail trade added 7,300 jobs, a 3.6 percent increase. This holiday hiring was about normal for the month of November. Food stores (+1,400 jobs), clothing stores (+900), general merchandise stores (+1,900), and nonstore retailers (+1,400) each showed impressive hiring. Meanwhile, wholesale trade added 400 jobs in November.
 
Over the first two months of the holiday hiring season, October and November, holiday‑related retail trade employment is up 9,500 jobs. This robust increase is approximately 2,000 jobs more than the average gain during the same months during the prior four years. This year, grocery stores, clothing stores, and general merchandise stores have picked up their seasonal hiring in earnest.
 
  • Educational and health services added 3,300 jobs in November, more than triple the sector’s normal seasonal growth for the month. Health care and social assistance (+2,300) added the most jobs, thanks to a 1,400-job gain in ambulatory health care services. Educational services added 1,000 jobs in November and 1,600 jobs in the past 12 months.
 
  • Construction employment dropped by only 900 jobs in November, at a time of year when typical seasonal declines would number 2,700. The industry has grown rapidly over the past two years, expanding by 17,800 jobs since November 2003. In November, construction of buildings added 100 jobs, during a month that typically sees a modest reduction heading into winter. Specialty trade contractors continued its robust performance, cutting only 400 jobs in November. It has grown 7,800 jobs from a year ago. Heavy and civil engineering construction cut 600 jobs for the month but remained up 900 jobs over a year ago. This part of construction now employs 11,500, which is near the highest level of the past four years, but about 1,000 jobs below the record levels for the industry seen throughout the peak summer months of the late 1990s.
 
  • Manufacturing cut only 2,200 jobs in November at a time of year when a drop of 3,600 would be normal. Most of the cutback was in nondurable goods, where food manufacturing shed 900 jobs. Food manufacturing did not cut back as much as is typical for November; losses in November have averaged 2,400 over the prior five years. Most other manufacturing sectors were little changed. One exception was wood product manufacturing, which cut 200 jobs.
 
  • Leisure and hospitality cut 4,300 jobs in November, 1,700 jobs deeper than the typical loss for the month. The sector’s two major components reported significant declines, 2,200 jobs in arts, entertainment, and recreation and 2,100 jobs in accommodation and food services.
 
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in November, essentially unchanged from 5.9 percent in October. Oregon’s unemployment rate is down from 7.2 percent in November 2004. In November, 101,985 Oregonians were unemployed, compared with 128,393 in November 2004.
 
The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0 percent in November, about the same as the prior six months’ readings, which were in the range of 4.9 percent to 5.1 percent.
 
With Oregon’s November unemployment rate at 5.8 percent and the U.S. unemployment rate at 5.0 percent, the gap between the Oregon and the U.S. unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage point. This is as narrow as the gap has been since March 1998, when the gap was also 0.8 point. The most recent month in which the gap was closer was in December 1997 when the gap was 0.7 point. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been above the U.S. unemployment rate since the two were equal in May 1996.
 
The Oregon Employment Department will release statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for December 2005 at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2006.
 
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For the complete version of the news release, including tables and graphs, visit: www.QualityInfo.org/pressrelease.
 
For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon Centers or go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.
 
Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
 
 
Page updated: March 05, 2007

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