The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Lincoln County rose to 8.1 percent in January, up from 7.7 percent in December, the Oregon Employment Department announced Tuesday. The statewide unemployment rate in January was 6.2 percent and the national rate was 6.3 percent.
Lincoln County’s unemployment rate in January 2020 was 3.8 percent.
The county lost 240 nonfarm jobs in January, 200 in the private sector – mostly trade, transportation and utilities and hospitality — and 40 in government, according to the agency, bringing the total number of jobs to 16,650.
January’s total nonfarm employment numbers showed a loss of 1,880 jobs compared with one year before, a decrease of 10.5 percent.
Almost every major industry lost jobs over the year. Leisure and hospitality accounted for much of the drop with a loss of 1,120 jobs, down 26 percent from the year before, according to regional economist Erik Knoder. Retail trade shed 100 jobs over the year, and local government cut 320 jobs.
Statewide, Oregon added jobs again in January, according to new data out Tuesday, recovering from a steep falloff in December. But the pace of layoffs remains high.
Employers added 8,300 jobs statewide in January, rebounding from 27,500 jobs lost the prior month. Oregon was weathering a steep increase in COVID-19 infections at the time and the state imposed new health restrictions, which forced restaurants and bars to end dine-in service in most of Oregon and shut down most gyms.
The state’s jobless rate has now fallen for nine consecutive months but the rate of improvement has grown ever slower. January’s unemployment rate was 6.2%, down just a tenth of a percentage point from December.
