March 8, 2022 10:00 a.m.
Douglas County’s unemployment rate was unchanged in January.
An update from the State of Oregon Employment Department said the seasonally adjusted rate remained at 4.9 percent, the same that it was in December. The previous 9 months had declines in the rate each month, going back to March of 2021.
Regional Economist Brian Rooney said the county’s payroll employment dropped a seasonally adjusted by 180 jobs in January after a gain of 200 in December and a gain of 140 in November. The county has gained back 66 percent of the jobs lost in March and April 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
Rooney said in the not seasonally adjusted private-sector industries in January, there were seasonal losses of 120 positions in retail trade, 100 in transportation, warehousing and utilities, 90 in leisure and hospitality and 80 in construction. Rooney said there was an additional loss of 50 jobs in private education and health services.
The release said the government category lost 50 jobs from losses of 30 in federal government and 10 each in state and local government.
When comparing January of 2022 with January of 2021, total nonfarm employment is up 480 jobs, or 1.3 percent. Large over-the-year gains of 420 jobs were seen in leisure and hospitality, 150 in the “other services” category, and 80 in retail trade. There were losses of 270 jobs in professional and business services, of 50 in mining and logging and 40 in financial activities.
For January, the Oregon seasonally adjusted rate was 4.3 percent while the U.S. rate was 4 percent.