There was good news on the job front in all three Central Oregon counties last month, as the unemployment rates fell significantly in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties, the Oregon Employment Department reported Friday.
Deschutes County’s jobless rate was 6.2 percent in March, well below February’s figure of 7.6 percent and also below the March 2000 level of 6.8 percent. Crook County’s unemployment rate was 9.9 percent last month, the same level as a year ago but down from the 10.6 percent rate the prvious month. Jefferson County saw the most dramatic drop, as its jobless rate fell to 9.2 percent, a full 3 percent below the February jobless figure, but still well above the county’s March 2000 jobless rate of 7.6 percent.
“That’s about right – March is when things start picking up,” said Kevin Sicard, regional economist in Klamath Falls.
State economists said Deschutes County’s total non-farm payroll employment added 550 jobs in March and 1,410 jobs over the past year. Non-manufacturing jobs saw a 600-job gain, with the largest increases in construction and mining, the service sector and local government employment.
Crook County lost 90 non-farm jobs last month, but the figure was still 220 jobs higher than a year ago. Trade experienced the greatest decrease, shedding 50 jobs, followed by transportation and public utilities, and construction and mining.
Jefferson County picked up 120 jobs in March but had 250 fewer jobs than a year ago. The manufacturing sector added 70 jobs last month, the majority reflecting the reopening of the Seaswirl Boats plant in Culver.
Statewide, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March was 4.7 percent, down .2 percent from February. The March rate compares favorably with the average figure for the past seven years but is still above the national rate, which rose .1 percent to 4.3 percent last month. Statewide, manufacturing employment fell by 2,400 jobs in March, with more than half of those jobs lost in the Portland-area transportation equipment manufacturing sector. But non-manufacturing industries as a group gained 8,500 jobs in March, due largely to services, retail trade and government.
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