Lee Fehrenbacher//July 17, 2012//
Oregon’s construction industry saw minimal job growth in June as the state’s overall unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged.
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June rose 0.1 point over May to 8.5 percent, according to the most recent employment report released today by the Oregon Employment Department. That’s down from a rate of 9.6 percent a year ago.
Overall, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 1,700 jobs with the trade, transportation and utilities industry (up 1,700), and the manufacturing industry (up 900) leading the charge. According to the employment department, June was the fourth consecutive month that seasonally adjusted payroll employment has grown, meaning more jobs were added than economists expected.
The construction industry, by contrast, added 2,700 jobs, which was the anticipated seasonal movement for the industry and so was not statistically significant.
The employment department also upwardly revised May’s figures to show a gain of 7,600 jobs, and since March, the state has added 13,600 jobs. In June, 172,489 people remained unemployed in Oregon.
Meanwhile, a concurrent June survey by the National Association of Home Builders shed light on the construction market. Steve Melman, director of economic services for the NAHB, said 41 percent of builders plan to hire more skilled workers in the next 12 months, while 59 percent do not.