November Unemployment: Klamath 6.3%, Lake 5.7%
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Employment in South Central Oregon: November 2018
Unemployment levels continued to trend up in both Klamath and Lake Counties. Klamath County posted
the first significant over-the-year job losses in several years, while Lake County’s employment situation is largely unchanged over the past year.
Klamath County
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in November, a slight increase from 6.1 percent in October. The unemployment rate is slightly higher than this time last year when it was 6.0 percent.
Klamath County shed 470 jobs in November, larger losses than typically expected this time of year.
Employment levels are down 330 jobs from this time last year (-1.4%). This is the largest rate of over-the-year job losses in Klamath County since November 2012. Losses were concentrated in manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, local government, and federal government.
Lake County
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in November, up from 5.5 percent in October. The rate was also 5.5 percent in November 2017.
Lake County shed 80 jobs in November, a larger decrease than typical for this time of year. Over the past year employment levels are essentially unchanged.
Statewide Numbers
Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in November 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in November included Hood River (3.4%), Washington (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.6%).
Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 3.9 percent and four were at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Eastern and Southern Oregon had higher unemployment rates in November 2018, which were still close to their record low unemployment rates since 1990.
Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.1 percent, which was 1 percentage higher than Grant’s lowest unemployment rate since comparable records began in 1990. Harney County’s unemployment rate improved over the year by 0.7 percentage point, more than any other county.
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between November 2017 and November 2018. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.3%). The Willamette Valley (+1.9%), Southern Oregon (+1.4%), the Portland area (+1.3%), the Oregon Coast (+0.8%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.7%) also added jobs.
Press release provided from Oregon Employment Department.