The number of unemployed workers in Lincoln County continues to pile up with another 408 people filing jobless claims for the week ending April 25, the Oregon Employment Department announced Thursday.
The latest numbers bring the total new unemployment filings for the past six weeks to 3,654 – or almost 18 percent of its total workforce.
Statewide, another 28,500 Oregonians filed new unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number of jobs lost during the first six weeks of the coronavirus outbreak above 360,000, according to the state.
For the third consecutive week the number of new claims in Lincoln County and across Oregon fell for the third consecutive week but remain at a historic high. Claims are likely to spike again as Oregon begins processing applications from contractors and the self-employed, who were previously ineligible for benefits.
In Lincoln County, the number of new claims continued to slowly drop from their peak of more than 1,000 in early April.
Still, Lincoln County’s number of newly unemployed is greater than the peak number of jobless – 2,824 – during the height of the Great Recession 11 years ago.
As a percentage of its workforce, Lincoln County is the hardest hit county in Oregon, according to the employment department. That’s because much of the coastal economy is based on tourism, which all but stopped when Gov. Kate Brown asked people to stay home and shut many businesses and closed state parks.
“As would be expected, accommodation and food services has been the hardest hit industry during the current crisis, with initial claims processed over the past six weeks representing roughly 32 percent of statewide employment in the industry,” Oregon Employment Department analyst Damon Runberg wrote Thursday. “Arts, entertainment, and recreation was the next hardest hit as museums, ski resorts, zoos, and other recreation companies have closed or seen their operations significantly curtailed. Another hard hit industry is ‘other services,’ which includes personal care services like fitness instructors, childcare workers, barbers/ stylists, massage therapists, and pet groomers.”
In Lincoln County, another 137 people who worked in the hospitality industry filed unemployment claims last week, bringing that industry’s six-week total to 1,508. There were 65 more people in the retail sector who filed, bringing that group’s total to 453. Combined, the hospitality and retail claims made up more than half of all claims in Lincoln County.
A complete report on the state agency’s weekly unemployment claims are available on its website.
