The unemployment rate in Lincoln County continues to slowly drop, but the county still has the highest rate than anywhere else in Oregon.
The Oregon Employment Department on Tuesday released county-by-county unemployment rates for November. Lincoln County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in November, dropping from 8.5 percent in October. It was 3.7 percent in November 2019, three months before the coronavirus pandemic swept through the tourist-oriented economy and raising the rate to more than 26 percent.
Oregon’s statewide unemployment rate was 6 percent in November, and the national rate was 6.7 percent.
The agency’s regional economist, Erik Knoder, said Lincoln County’s private sector employers cut 260 jobs and government employment fell by 30 in November. The leisure and hospitality sector shed 190 jobs, he said, and food manufacturing cut 90 jobs during the lull between summer fishing and winter crab season. Retail trade added 50 jobs during the holidays.
Lincoln County has had the highest monthly unemployment rate in Oregon since April. Multnomah and Crook counties’ rate in November was 7.2 percent; Grant County’s was 7 percent.
Neighboring counties also had lower rates: Clatsop was 6.4 percent, Lane 6.2 percent, and Tillamook and Clatsop counties both 5.7 percent.
Overall, November’s total nonfarm employment numbers show a loss of 2,160 jobs compared with one year before, a decrease of 11.8 percent, Knoder said in his monthly report.
Almost every major industry lost jobs over the year. Leisure and hospitality accounted for much of the drop with a loss of 860 jobs, down 18.9 percent from the year before.
