Oregon’s unseasonably warm winter might be bad for the ski slopes, but it could be helping the state’s employment rate. According to the Oregon Employment Department, the mild weather may have kept more outdoor workers on the job in sectors such as construction.
The latest numbers released today show the state added more than 55,000 jobs between January 2014 and 2015.
Oregon unemployment dropped nearly half a percentage point from December to January, settling at 6.3 percent. That’s the lowest rate since July of 2008.
State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks says that’s a recent record: “Oregon’s job growth has accelerated over the past few years and the state hasn’t added jobs this quickly since 2006.”
Beleiciks says the sectors adding the most jobs include professional and business services, as well as manufacturing and retail trade.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
