Ore. jobless rate remains above 12 percent
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:04 AM PDT
SALEM (AP) — Oregon’s unemployment rate hovered at 12.2 percent in June — essentially unchanged from the previous month but still a modern high and more than double the rate a year ago.
The latest figure also was well above the U.S. rate of 9.5 percent as Oregon’s recession-bound economy shed another 7,200 jobs last month.
‘‘That indicates a continuing decline in economic activity in Oregon,’’ said David Cooke, an Oregon Employment Department economist. ‘‘It is still a very tough time for many workers in this state.’’
In all, 241,000 Oregonians were on the unemployment rolls in June, compared with 114,000 a year ago.
In its monthly jobs report, the state employment agency said industries such as manufacturing, trade and business services continued to mirror national trends of job declines.
One bright spot was construction, which posted a gain of 3,600 jobs in June, when a seasonal gain of 2,000 jobs had been expected.
