Employment in South Central Oregon: February 2018
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The employment situation in Klamath and Lake counties was largely unchanged over the past several months. Unemployment rates remained stable with Klamath County posting strong job growth over the past year.
Klamath County
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained largely unchanged at 6.1 percent in February from 6.0 percent in January. Unemployment levels also remain little changed from this time last year when the rate was 5.9 percent.
Klamath County added 80 jobs in February, fewer gains than typically expected this time of year. Slower seasonal hiring isn’t particularly concerning as the county saw fewer job losses than typically expected earlier in the winter.
Job growth over the past year continued at a relatively fast pace with the county adding 780 jobs (+3.5%). Job growth was concentrated in retail trade and leisure and hospitality. Health care also posted notable gains over the past year, however the gain of 450 jobs is largely a reflection of home care workers moving from state government into private health care.
Lake County
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5 percent in February. The rate was 5.8 percent in February 2017.
The county added 20 jobs in February, fairly typical hiring for this time of year. The employment level is unchanged from this time last year. As with Klamath County, education and health services looks like it posted large employment gains over the past year, however this is a reflection of home care workers being reported in the private sector rather than state government.