Oregon’s unemployment rate was flat in November, staying at 5.2%.

The latest report from the state shows employers added 1,600 jobs in total after seasonal adjustments.

Among the top-gaining sectors was health care and social assistance, which has added a total of 10,900 jobs in the past year.

But those gains may not be favorable for typical job seekers, according to Oregon Employment Economist Gail Krumenauer.

“If all of the gains are highly concentrated in one sector of the economy and it’s a sector that’s more likely to require some kind of education or credential to hold a job in that industry, it may not be a quick or easy transition to find your next employment opportunity,” she said.

A bright side she mentioned is strong gains in leisure and hospitality, which added 1,000 jobs in November after seasonal adjustments, and has added 3,900 jobs since July.

Krumenauer also said the construction sector is showing promise after recent declines.

November’s report is the first after a missed month of jobs data collection due to the federal government shutdown. Furloughs meant that federal employees who gather some of the data that goes into jobs reports were not able to collect that information.

However, that data may not be a permanent blank in data sets.

“They may do what’s called interpolation, which is where you take a look at the times that were happening beforehand and afterwards and give your best estimate of what that number is,” said Krumenauer.

Filling in of that number would likely happen some time next year, according to Krumenauer.

Zac Ziegler is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/08/oregon-unemployment-rate-november-flat-health-care-boom/