SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon’s jobless rate dropped to 4.3 percent in January, marking the lowest such figure since the state began tracking employment data in 1976.
State officials say it’s also lower than the nationwide rate of 4.8 percent.
The last time Oregon’s jobless rate dipped below 5 percent was during the dot-com boom in the mid-1990s.
Oregon businesses added 2,600 nonfarm employees to their payrolls in January, which was a quarter-percent drop from the recent monthly averages.
The construction industry added the most jobs for the month, while the biggest cuts occurred in sectors such as government and health care.
Statewide employment growth over the last 12 months totaled 43,200 new jobs.
The strongest yearly gains were in construction, transportation, financial activities, information technology and health care.
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