SALEM, Ore. -- Oregon employers created 1,700 new jobs in June, and unemployment in Oregon dropped sharply compared to the same period last year, according to according to state unemployment figures released Tuesday.
June unemployment was 8.5 percent in Oregon, down from 9.6 percent in June 2011.
However, June's unemployment rate was 0.1 percent higher than May's 8.4 percent Oregon unemployment rate. The national unemployment rate this May and June was 8.2 percent.
Oregon hiring was strong in the manufacturing sector as well as transportation and utilities, but those gains were partially offset by declines in government and service jobs, said state economist David Cooke.
"The latest figures indicate that Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has generally been on a declining trend for three years, after reaching a high of 11.6 percent in May and June 2009," he said. "In June, 172,489 Oregonians were unemployed. This was 20,110 fewer individuals than in June 2011 when 192,599 Oregonians were unemployed."
