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more photosArea unemployment rates jump
By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin
Published: January 27. 2009 4:00AM PSTUnemployment rates in Central Oregon continued their climbs into record territory in December as the local economy continues to shed jobs.
Deschutes County’s December unemployment rate climbed to 11.3 percent, from a revised rate of 9.8 percent in November, according to Oregon Employment Department data released Monday. In December 2007, the jobless rate was 6.1 percent.
The December 2008 jobless rate is the highest since 1990, when the department changed the methodology it uses to calculate unemployment. Under the prior methodology, the last time the county’s December jobless rate was as high was in 1985, when it reached 11.7 percent, according to Jan Swander, a work force analyst with the department. Swander said the 1990 methodology changes provided counties with smaller labor markets, such as those in Central Oregon, with more accurate unemployment rates.
The December 2008 unemployment rate exceeds the last recession in 2000 and 2001, when county unemployment rates for the month were 5.4 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively.
In Crook and Jefferson counties, the December 2008 unemployment picture was bleaker — 14 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively.
One area of employment in Deschutes County hit hard recently has been the restaurant industry, which has seen the closure of several high-profile restaurants in downtown Bend, including Volo, Deep and Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar.
On Monday, at the WorkSource Oregon office in Bend, job-seeker Marshall Murray was reading the newspaper, hoping to find information that might help him in his job search. A former restaurant employee, Murray was laid off and now works on-call for another restaurant. Last week, he worked one day. This week, he thinks he won’t work any.
Murray, who has a background in sales, moved to Bend in 2006 from Portland, thinking it would be easy to find work. It was, until last summer. He’s since been living off savings and making near-daily trips to the WorkSource Department office on Northeast U.S. Highway 20, trying to find a full-time job.
But with unemployment rates rising, Murray is ready to “throw in the towel” and move in with friends in Salt Lake City.
“I’m trying to network here, but you are competing with so many people, my choices are far less abundant,” Murray said. “I’ve never been in anything like this. I used to just fall out of bed and find a job, but not here.”
Also in the crowded WorkSource Department office Monday was Michael Williams, of Bend. A machinist at a local steel-fabrication company, he was furloughed three weeks ago and in the office “to see what else is out there.” A single parent to a 7-year-old boy, Williams wants to work.
“All the other steel-fabrication companies are in the same situation, so there’s not a lot of demand for me, but I gotta pursue this and see what my options are,” Williams said.
In Crook County, the loss of 230 jobs in wholesale trade, wood product manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality contributed to December’s 14 percent jobless rate, according to the department. The rate, the county’s highest since 1990, climbed from 12.3 percent in November and 7.3 percent in December 2007. The last time it was nearly as high was December 1982, when it reached 13.9 percent, calculated using the old methodology, Swander said.
In Jefferson County, 30 jobs were lost in December — the expected seasonal amount — but continued employment declines in construction, manufacturing and leisure and hospitality contributed to December’s 13.3 percent jobless rate. That number is up from November’s revised rate of 11.8 percent and the December 2007 rate of 8.2 percent. Swander said the last time Jefferson County’s unemployment rate was as high was in December 1984, when it reached 13.7 percent, calculated using the prior methodology.
Neither of the three Central Oregon counties had the state’s highest unemployment rate last month. That distinction went to rural Grant County, at 15.9 percent. Benton County, home to Corvallis and Oregon State University, had the lowest rate, at 6.2 percent.
Jobless rates in Central Oregon are likely to worsen before they improve, Swander said.
“In past recessions, we came out more quickly because of construction but probably not this time around,” she said. “I think it will be slower.”
Construction jobs, along with employment in natural resources and mining, were the biggest losers in Deschutes County in December, shedding 230 jobs. Government also lost jobs, including 50 in education and 110 in local government. The federal government lost 80 jobs in the county in December and state government shed 10 jobs.
The county did see some job gains as the tourism industry ramped up for the winter season, according to the Employment Department. There were 200 jobs added in leisure and hospitality, followed by the addition of 60 retail jobs and 60 more jobs in transportation, warehousing and utilities. There also were gains in educational and health services.
“People are finding jobs,” said Swander, whose department helps people find work through a job-matching program with local employers. The department also offers classes for job-hunters in skills such as interviewing and preparing résumés.
“People retire, get promoted, move from the area, so there are companies holding their own and maybe growing, albeit more slowly,” Swander said. “We really focus on the job-seeker, so they can make a great impression because now they are competing with so many more people.”
Andrew Moore can be reached at 541-617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com.
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