Oregon s Unemployment Rate Was Unchanged at 8.4 Percent in February, as Payroll Employment Grew by 6,800. Millions

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1 NEWS 875 Union Street NE Salem, Oregon PH: TTY-TDD FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2013 PRESS CONFERENCE PRESENTER: Nick Beleiciks, State Employment Economist CONTACT INFORMATION: David Cooke, Economist (503) Oregon s Unemployment Rate Was Unchanged at 8.4 Percent in February, as Payroll Employment Grew by 6,800 Oregon s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 8.4 percent, unchanged from January. The February 2012 unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data) On a seasonally adjusted basis, preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate nonfarm payroll employment in Oregon rose by 6,800 jobs in February. The private sector added 6,000 jobs over the month, while the public sector added 800. Revised estimates for January show a gain of 5,400 jobs, when a gain of 4,200 was initially reported. Upward revisions were largest in February Labor Market Highlights Oregon s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.4 percent in both January and February. The rate has been between 8.3 percent and 8.9 percent during the past 13 months. Oregon s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment grew by 6,800 in February and by 5,400 in January. leisure and hospitality and in professional and business services. In February, five major industries added at least 800 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. These gains were partially offset by modest job losses in two major industries. Percent 12.0 Oregon unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted Millions 1.8 Oregon nonfarm payroll employment, seasonally adjusted Oregon Employment Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Oregon Employment Department es un programa/empleador que respeta la igualdad de oportunidades.

2 Employment Department News Release Page 2 of 4 March 19, 2013 The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that construction activity increased significantly in February. The industry added 1,800 jobs when a loss of 900 was the normal seasonal movement. This spike upward followed a gradual decline during the prior year. Manufacturing was expected to add 300 jobs in February due to normal seasonal factors, but added 1,100 instead. This better thanexpected reading put manufacturing back on track with its moderate recovery seen during the prior three years. Seasonally adjusted employment in manufacturing stood at 173,300 in February, which was well above its low point of 162,100 in late Many of manufacturing s component industries have expanded since February 2012, including wood products (+800 jobs), primary metals (+300), fabricated metals (+500), machinery (+300), transportation equipment (+400), and nondurable goods (+500). Economists with the BLS estimate that leisure and hospitality added 2,600 jobs in February, at a time of year when a gain of 1,600 was expected due to seasonal factors. The industry is ramping up employment from January, which will likely be the seasonal low point for the year. Since February 2012, leisure and hospitality has been one of the fastest growing major 350,000 Oregon Seasonally Adjusted Employment Seasonal Expectations and Over the Month Employment Changes January 2013 to February ,000 Trade, transportation, and utilities INDUSTRY Normal Seasonal Movement Unadjusted Change Seasonally Adjusted Change 250,000 Government Private-sector educational and health services Total nonfarm payroll employment 9,400 16,200 6,800 Total private 5,000 11,000 6,000 Mining and logging Construction ,800 2,700 Manufacturing 300 1, Trade, transportation, and utilities -2, ,800 Information Financial activities Professional and business services 2,000 1, Educational and health services 3,600 3, Leisure and hospitality 1,600 2,600 1,000 Other services Government 4,400 5, , , ,000 50,000 0 Professional and business services Manufacturing Leisure and hospitality Financial activities Construction Other services Information Mining and logging '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13

3 Employment Department News Release Page 3 of 4 March 19, 2013 industries. Over the past 12 months it added 5,400 jobs, or 3.4 percent. Food services and drinking places, a major component sector, has added 4,200 in that time. The BLS estimates that government added 5,200 jobs in February, when a gain of 4,400 is the normal seasonal pattern for the month. This better than expected showing came on the heels of a more normal reading in January. Over the past 12 months, however, government employment is down 300 jobs, with federal government shedding 600, local government up 100, and state government adding 200. Trade, transportation, and utilities cut only 100 jobs in February, when a loss of 2,900 is the normal seasonal pattern. Wholesale trade shot up by 1,600 as several smaller firms on the business survey reported modest hiring. Gains here were strong across the board of the three component wholesale trade industries: durable goods (+500 jobs); nondurable goods (+400); and electronic markets and agents and brokers (+700). Similarly, the BLS estimated that transportation, warehousing, and utilities rose much more than expected, with a monthly gain of 1,000 jobs. Nearly all of these gains were in the transportation component. On a seasonally adjusted basis, professional and business services ticked down by 800 jobs, following a revised gain of 1,300 in January. Despite the loss in February, this major industry has seen a strong rebound over the past three years. Its component sector, professional and technical services, reached another record high in February, employing 78,200. The BLS estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. These preliminary estimates are subject to revision. Hours and Earnings (Establishment Survey Data) The average workweek for Oregon manufacturing production workers rose from 40.5 hours in January to 40.8 in February. The manufacturing workweek has been on a generally increasing trend for more than three years. In February 2012, this workweek averaged 39.5 hours. In February, the average wage was $22.38 per hour for Oregon s private sector payroll employees, down slightly from $22.41 in January. Wages have increased 12 cents, or 0.5 percent, from February 2012 when the average was $ Unemployment (Household Survey Data) The national unemployment rate was 7.7 percent in February and 7.9 percent in January, while Oregon s rate was 8.4 percent in both February and January. In February, 178,782 Oregonians were unemployed. This was 14,084 fewer individuals than in February 2012 when 192,866 Oregonians were unemployed. Next Press Releases The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the February county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Monday, March 25th and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for March on Tuesday, April 16th.

4 Employment Department News Release Page 4 of 4 March 19, 2013 For many years, monthly employment estimates for Oregon and its metropolitan areas were developed by Oregon Employment Department economists. In March 2011, responsibility for the monthly employment estimates for Oregon and its metropolitan areas shifted to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The estimates developed by BLS are more heavily dependent on the sample of businesses and less reliant on knowledge of local economic events. They are also likely to demonstrate increased month to month variability. Comments or questions should be directed to Graham Slater, Administrator of the Oregon Employment Department's Workforce and Economic Research Division, at (503) For the complete version of the news release, including tables and graphs, visit: If you need this release in the Spanish language, please contact Loretta Gallegos at For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon Centers or go to: Equal Opportunity program auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities

5 Workforce and Economic Research 2012 Benchmark March 19, 2013 Oregon Current Labor Force and Industry Employment February January February Change From Change From January 2013 February 2012 Labor Force Status Civilian labor force 1,935,233 1,927,857 1,962,949 7,376-27,716 Unemployed 178, , ,866-2,331-14,084 Unemployment rate Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted Employed 1,756,451 1,746,744 1,770,083 9,707-13,632 Nonfarm Payroll Employment Total nonfarm payroll employment 1,635,900 1,619,700 1,613,100 16,200 22,800 Total private 1,338,500 1,327,500 1,315,400 11,000 23,100 Mining and logging 6,600 6,500 6, Logging 5,200 5,100 5, Construction 64,400 62,600 65,400 1,800-1,000 Construction of buildings 16,300 15,900 15, Residential building construction 9,100 8,800 8, Nonresidential building construction 7,200 7,100 7, Heavy and civil engineering construction 7,100 6,900 7, Specialty trade contractors 41,000 39,800 42,500 1,200-1,500 Building foundation and exterior contractors 7,400 7,100 7, Building equipment contractors 20,600 19,600 21,600 1,000-1,000 Building finishing contractors 7,700 8,000 8, Other specialty trade contractors 5,300 5,100 4, Manufacturing 169, , ,100 1,100 2,700 Durable goods 121, , , ,200 Wood product manufacturing 19,800 19,900 19, Sawmills and wood preservation 6,000 6,000 5, Plywood and engineered wood product mfg. 7,300 7,300 6, Other wood product manufacturing 6,500 6,600 6, Primary metal manufacturing 8,400 8,400 8, Fabricated metal product manufacturing 15,600 15,600 15, Machinery manufacturing 11,100 11,100 10, Computer and electronic product manufacturing 36,500 36,500 36, Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 27,500 27,500 27, Electronic instrument manufacturing 5,200 5,200 5, Transportation equipment manufacturing 11,200 11,300 10, Nondurable goods 48,300 47,700 47, Food manufacturing 22,800 22,700 22, Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty 8,100 8,000 8, Paper manufacturing 4,800 4,800 4, Trade, transportation, and utilities 315, , , ,700 Wholesale trade 76,100 74,500 74,100 1,600 2,000 Merchant wholesalers, durable goods 31,400 30,900 31, Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods 31,400 31,000 30, ,300 Electronic markets and agents and brokers 13,300 12,600 13, Retail trade 183, , ,900-2,700 2,900 Motor vehicle and parts dealers 22,200 22,400 21, Building material and garden supply stores 12,900 12,700 12, Food and beverage stores 37,500 38,000 38, Clothing and clothing accessories stores 16,000 16,700 15, Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores 9,500 9,900 9, General merchandise stores 39,100 39,600 38, Miscellaneous store retailers 9,700 9,700 9, Nonstore retailers 5,700 6,200 5, or2013est.xlsm "CLFIE" Page 1 of 2 David Cooke (503)

6 February January February Change From Change From January 2013 February 2012 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 55,300 54,300 53,500 1,000 1,800 Utilities 4,600 4,600 4, Transportation and warehousing 50,700 49,700 49,000 1,000 1,700 Truck transportation 17,400 17,200 17, Couriers and messengers 6,400 6,300 6, Warehousing and storage 6,800 6,800 6, Information 32,800 32,400 31, ,100 Publishing industries, except internet 13,800 13,900 13, Newspaper, book, and directory publishers 4,500 4,500 4, Software publishers 9,300 9,400 8, Telecommunications 6,700 6,700 6, Financial activities 90,400 90,200 89, Finance and insurance 56,200 56,400 55, Credit intermediation and related activities 27,700 27,700 27, Insurance carriers and related activities 23,200 23,400 23, Real estate and rental and leasing 34,200 33,800 34, Real estate 29,300 29,200 29, Professional and business services 194, , ,100 1,200 4,100 Professional and technical services 78,200 77,100 77,500 1, Legal services 11,500 11,500 11, Architectural and engineering services 13,000 12,800 12, Computer systems design and related services 12,000 12,000 11, Management of companies and enterprises 31,400 31,400 30, ,300 Administrative and waste services 84,600 84,500 82, ,100 Administrative and support services 79,600 79,400 77, ,200 Employment services 31,500 30,700 30, Business support services 14,800 14,700 14, Services to buildings and dwellings 17,400 17,900 17, Educational and health services 241, , ,900 3,000 2,400 Educational services 36,700 33,600 36,200 3, Health care and social assistance 204, , , ,900 Ambulatory health care services 73,600 74,000 72, Hospitals 53,200 53,100 53, Nursing and residential care facilities 44,200 44,300 43, Social assistance 33,600 33,300 32, Leisure and hospitality 166, , ,700 2,600 5,400 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 20,800 20,000 20, Amusement, gambling, and recreation 15,500 15,000 15, Accommodation and food services 145, , ,800 1,800 5,500 Accommodation 20,800 20,600 19, ,300 Food services and drinking places 124, , ,300 1,600 4,200 Full-service restaurants 59,600 59,100 57, ,400 Limited-service eating places 53,500 53,300 51, ,300 Other services 57,700 57,000 56, ,100 Repair and maintenance 16,000 15,800 15, Personal and laundry services 13,000 13,000 12, Membership associations and organizations 28,700 28,200 28, Religious organizations 16,500 16,200 16, Government 297, , ,700 5, Federal government 26,500 26,800 27, State government 82,000 80,200 81,800 1, State education 34,100 32,300 33,600 1, Local government 188, , ,800 3, Indian tribal 8,200 8,200 8, Local education 102,100 98, ,800 3, Labor-management disputes The most recent month is preliminary, the prior month is revised. Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor Force Status: Civilian labor force includes employed and unemployed individuals 16 years and older by place of residence. Employed includes nonfarm payroll employment, self-employed, unpaid family workers, domestics, agriculture and labor disputants. Unemployment rate is calculated by dividing unemployed by civilian labor force. Nonfarm Payroll Employment: Data are by place of work and cover full- and part-time employees who worked or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. The data exclude the self-employed, volunteers, unpaid family workers, and domestics. Cautionary Note to Users: Starting in December 2009, revised estimation procedures mandated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may result in unusually large or volatile monthto-month employment changes. These survey-based estimates are revised annually, based on more complete information from quarterly employer tax records. or2013est.xlsm "CLFIE" Page 2 of 2 David Cooke (503)