The Portland metro region’s 9.1 percent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March– about half of a full point below February’s — is one of the latest signals that an economic recovery is under way, an Oregon economist says.
The Portland metro region’s 9.1 percent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March– about half of a full point below February’s — is one of the latest signals that an economic recovery is under way, an Oregon economist says.
State officials announced the March figure on Monday for the seven-county region, compared to 9.7 percent in February. It was 10.7 percent in March 2010 for the statistical region that includes Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties in Oregon and Clark and Skamania counties in Washington.
The March figure “is an impressive movement,” said Christian Kaylor, workforce analyst and an economist for state Employment Department. “We’ve been seeing some strong hiring.”
Seasonally adjusted, the Portland metro area added an estimated 300 jobs in March, following a gain of 5,100 in February. Over the past year, the area gained 13,400 jobs.
Read the full story in The Oregonian.
