Oregon Unemployment Rate Holds At 5.2% In March As Payroll Jobs Decline

Oregon’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in March, while the state continued to see a slowdown in payroll jobs, according to new figures from the Oregon Employment Department.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2% in March, the same as February. Nationally, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, down slightly from 4.4% in February.

While the unemployment rate held steady, Oregon employers reported another monthly drop in jobs. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment fell by 4,800 jobs in March, following a revised loss of 6,900 jobs in February.

Retail trade was one of the few bright spots, adding 900 jobs in March after gaining 800 in February. Even with that improvement, the sector remained below where it was a year earlier. Retail trade was down 1,900 jobs compared with March 2025, with motor vehicle and parts dealers seeing the largest decline among published retail categories.

The largest job losses in March came from professional and business services, which dropped 2,400 jobs. The sector has been in a longer slide, losing 10,600 jobs over the past year, a decline of 4.1%.

Government employment also continued to soften. After reaching a recent high in September, government jobs have fallen by 5,500 statewide. Federal government employment was down 3,000 jobs from its recent high in October 2024, while local government employment has also trended downward over the past several months.

Other March changes included:

• Financial activities, down 600 jobs
• Leisure and hospitality, down 600 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis
• Other services, down 600 jobs
• Wholesale trade, down 300 jobs
• Transportation, warehousing, and utilities, down 300 jobs
• Construction, manufacturing, mining and logging, information, and private educational services were essentially unchanged

Unadjusted payroll employment increased by 900 jobs from February to March, but the gain was weaker than the normal seasonal increase expected for the month. That is why the seasonally adjusted figure showed a decline.

The Oregon Employment Department said county and metropolitan area unemployment and jobs data for March are expected to be released Tuesday, May 5. The next statewide unemployment report, covering April, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20.

The full release can be found here.