September 18, 2025 3:40 a.m.
In August, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 6,900 jobs, following a revised gain of 100 jobs in July.
A release from the Oregon Employment Department said August’s gains were largest in health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, government, and other services with increases of 2,500, 1,500,1,100 and 1,000 jobs respectively. Losses were largest in wholesale trade, which lost 1,100 jobs.
State Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer said health care and social assistance continued its rapid expansion during the past 12 months. Krumenauer said nursing and residential care facilities added 400 jobs in August and 3,900 jobs or 6.8 percent since August 2024. Hospitals, which added no jobs in August, grew the second fastest of health care’s component industries in the past 12 months, adding 2,900 jobs or 4.6 percent. Social assistance added 2,400 jobs or 3,0 percent while ambulatory care gained 2,300 jobs or 2.2 percent but both categories had slower growth over the year.
OED said leisure and hospitality grew 2.0 percent in the past 12 months, gaining 4,100 jobs, following little change over the prior two years. Since last August, most of its published component industries added 2 percent and 4 percent. Amusement, gambling, and recreation grew the fastest, adding 1,500 jobs or 6.7 percent. In contrast, full-service restaurants cut 1,200 jobs or 1.8 percent.
Krumenauer said wholesale trade declined rapidly in the past 12 months, losing 4,300 jobs or 5.5 percent. All three wholesale component industries shrank substantially in that time: merchant wholesales, nondurable goods lost 1,500 jobs or 4.9 percent, merchant wholesalers, durable goods lost 1,000 jobs or 2.5 percent, and wholesale trade and brokers lost 900 jobs or 13.0 percent.
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in August, and 4.9 percent as revised in July, after rising gradually over the past year from 4.2 percent in August 2024. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in July and 4.3 percent in August.