State unemployment rate jumps as industries shed jobs

State economists see ‘worsening trend’ in ominous employment statistics

The Portland Tribune, Nov 17, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (9 Reader comments)

Oregon’s unemployment rate continued its “worsening trend” in October when it jumped a full percentage point to 7.3 percent.

With about 134,096 Oregonians out of work, WorkSource Oregon officials have ratcheted up programs to help more people find jobs in the tight economy.

“We’re seeing a lot of desperate folks that are coming in and looking for jobs,” said Bruce Powers, head of the WorkSource Oregon office in Tualatin. “We’ve really almost doubled the number of applicants that we’ve had come in.”

Nearly every sector of the state’s economy shed jobs in October, some more than expected. That trend could continue as holiday season temporary jobs dry up in the coming recession.

“It’s a continuation of the weakness (in the state’s economy),” said Art Ayre, state employment economist. “It’s a continuation of a trend, but it’s also a worsening of the trend.”

Ayre said the one percentage point jump in the unemployment rate was one of the largest the state has seen in years. The last time the state saw a similar steep month-to-month climb in the unemployment rate was in April 1980, in the midst of another national recession. It’s also the highest unemployment rate in the state since August 2004.

“It’s been quite a spike in the last few months in terms of increase in our unemployment,” Ayre said. “I was surprised. I didn’t expect this large an increase in our unemployment.”

Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in September. The state lost 14,100 in October, following a loss of 4,400 jobs in September.

To deal with the job losses, WorkSource Oregon has added staff and boosted some of its services at statewide employment centers, including the Portland-area office in Tualatin.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance are up 27 percent from a year ago, said John Young, the Portland-area unemployment insurance claim center manager. About 60,000 Oregonians are receiving unemployment benefits, he said. Nearly 1,200 exhaust their 26-week benefits every week.

There also has been a huge jump in the number of people registering for the state's iMatchSkills.org job-matching service. In 2008, 98,491 people signed up for the service, compared with 72,375 who used the program a year ago.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit