Unemployment in Oregon is at its Highest Level Since August 2021

By Lucille McNamara On Apr 17, 2025

Oregon’s unemployment rate is growing steadily, rising from 4.5% in February to 4.6% in March, resulting in the highest rate of people without work since August 2021.

Unemployment Has Risen from 4.1% to 4.6% in 12 Months

Unemployment in the state has been rising gradually since March 2024 when it stood at 4.1%, while unemployment nationwide in 2025 rose from 4.1% in February to 4.2% in March.

Health Care and Social Assistance are the Fastest Growing Private Sector Industries

The healthcare and social assistance industry has led private sector job growth in Oregon for the last few years, continuing a three-year streak of rapid growth.

The sector has added 18,400 jobs in the previous 12 months to March, which represents 6.2%. Employment gains of +4,600 in March are largely reflected by the return to work of striking healthcare givers and social assistance employees.

Other job gains were recorded by professional and business services with +1,000, other services gained +800, and the wholesale trade +700. The seasonal employment figures for the adjusted non-farm payroll rose by 7,300.

There were no job changes of more than 400 in other major industries.

Also continuing its upward employment trend is professional and business services which added +4,500 jobs in the first three months of 2025.

The upward trend had reversed a downward scale in the industry during the previous two years when professional and business services subtracted 5,400 posts from payrolls.

Lumped under Other Services are religious organizations, membership associations, personal services, laundry services, and repair and maintenance services.

These sectors have expanded steadily for more than four years, employing 69,300 in March, and are now well above its pre-COVID high of 65,700 jobs.

The Oregon Employment Department will release the March county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on 22 April, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for April on 14 May.