County jobless rate shows decline
Despite losses in some sectors, some 320 persons found jobs in Josephine County during March, dropping the unemployment rate to 8 percent from 8.4 percent the previous month.
Oregon Employment Dept. (OED) added that payroll employment reached 25,760. The gain was attributed to increased employment in retail trade (+70), health care and social assistance (+40), and leisure and hospitality (+180). The increase in the latter category is attributed by OED to several new restaurants.
However, the rise still represents a drop of 90 jobs from March 2006, when the unemployment rate in the county was 7.2 percent. The losses occurred mainly in construction, manufacturing, and local government. The last category represents in local education a loss of 90 of 220 jobs that disappeared.
Josephine County also recorded losses during March in food-and-beverage stores (-30); professional-and-business services (-20); and information (-20).
Unemployment rates for Jackson and Douglas counties during March were 6.5 and 8.6 percent. Both were lower than postings during February, OED said.
Josephine County’s rate for March was greater than 22 counties and lower than seven. Oregon’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate for March was 5.2 percent, down from 5.3 for February; and less than the March 2006 rate of 5.4, OED said.
