April 2, 2026 3:40 a.m.
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in January and 5.3 percent, as revised, in December.
A State of Oregon Employment Department release said in January, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 2,000, following a gain of 100 jobs, as revised in December. January’s gains were largest in leisure and hospitality, health care and social assistance and construction. Those categories rose by 1,800, 1,500 and 1,000 respectively. Losses were largest in manufacturing and professional and business services, which lost 1,500 and 1,300 jobs respectively.
State Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer said leisure and hospitality performed better than the normal seasonal pattern in January and employed 209,800 people, which was 1,800 jobs, or 0.9 percent above its January 2025 total. Krumenauer said despite these gains, it employed only slightly more workers than during most of the past few years.
OED said health care and social assistance rose by 4,100 jobs during the three months ending in January. During the 12 months ending in January, it added 9,800 jobs or 3.2 percent. That was by far the fastest growth rate of Oregon’s major industries during that time.
The release said construction’s 1,000 job-gain in January was a partial rebound from its 2,400-job loss the prior month. Over the past two years, construction generally declined from a high of about 118,000 jobs throughout much of 2023, to its January 2026 level of 111,600 jobs.
Krumenauer said manufacturing cut 1,500 jobs in January, following a gain of 1,300 in December. Since August, manufacturing has fluctuated around 178,000 jobs. Prior to this period of relative stability, manufacturing shrank rapidly from a recent high of 195,000 jobs in November 2022.
The 1,300-job decline in professional and business services in January left the industry 7,600 jobs, or 2.9 percent below its year-ago total, and 17,000 jobs below its peak of 268,100 jobs in 2023.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in January and 4.4 percent in December.