Oregon Jobs and Labor Force – January 2025 Update

Data Revisions and Methodological Updates by BLS

This report incorporates recent quarterly data revisions from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), including updates to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program released on March 5, 2025. These revisions reflect annual population adjustments from the 2020 Census, which impact labor force estimates and unemployment figures. The labor force and unemployment figures in this report fully reflect these updates.

Oregon’s labor market remained resilient in January 2025, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 2,394 jobs. Despite ongoing fluctuations across industries, seven of the eleven major sectors added jobs, with notable growth in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation, and utilities.

At the same time, quarterly data revisions released by the BLS on March 5, 2025, incorporated updated employment benchmarks and annual population adjustments. These changes revised labor force participation estimates downward while adjusting unemployment figures upward. Following these revisions, Oregon’s labor force participation rate remained at 62.7% in January, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held at 4.3%.

• In January, Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2,394 jobs. Professional and business services led job growth, adding 1,396 jobs, followed by leisure and hospitality, which gained 1,178 jobs.
• The trade, transportation, and utilities sector also expanded, adding 1,109 jobs in January.
• Since January 2020, Oregon’s total employment has grown by 27,400 jobs, with private-sector employment increasing by 9,100 jobs and government employment rising by 17,100 jobs.
• Seven of the eleven major sectors added jobs in January.
• The manufacturing sector saw the steepest decline, losing 2,211 jobs—the largest drop among major industries. The education and health services sector also contracted, shedding 403 jobs, primarily due to losses in health care and social assistance services.
• The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at to 4.3% in January
• Oregon's labor force participation rate (LFPR) remained steady at 62.7% in January.
• According to the BLS survey of establishments (CES), Oregon recovered to its pre-pandemic employment-to-population ratio in August 2021 and has remained above that level since.
•  According to the BLS measure of local employment (LAUS), which captures both traditional jobs and self-employment, Oregon's employment recovered to its pre-pandemic level in March 2021 and has remained above since.

A Deeper Dive into Oregon Industries 

• In January, total nonfarm payroll employment in Oregon increased by 2,394 jobs. The preliminary December figures were revised upward by approximately 1,700 jobs, indicating a smaller decline than initially reported. With this revision, December saw a loss of 1,995 jobs.
• January job growth was led by the professional and business services sector, which added 1,396 jobs. The second-largest employment increase occurred in the leisure and hospitality sector, which gained 1,178 jobs, primarily driven by growth in accommodation and food services. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector also saw significant gains, adding 1,109 jobs in January.
• Other sectors contributing to job growth included other services, government, construction, and information.
• In contrast, the manufacturing sector—a key pillar of Oregon’s economy—continued to experience the largest job losses, shedding 2,219 positions. This decline highlights ongoing challenges within the industry.
• Seven of Oregon’s eleven major sectors added jobs in January.
• The government sector added 399 jobs, primarily due to growth in local government. However, state government employment broke its sustained upward trend since September 2024, seeing no increase.
• Other notable job losses included the financial activities sector (-201 jobs) and the education and health services sector (-403 jobs).
• Since January 2020, private-sector employment in Oregon has increased by 27,400 jobs, while government employment has grown by 18,300 jobs, largely due to gains in state and local government.
• Six of the eleven super-sectors remain below their January 2020 employment levels, including mining and logging, manufacturing, information, leisure and hospitality, and financial activities.
  • The manufacturing sector has fallen the most, with employment 7.29% lower than in January 2020.
  • In contrast, education and health services has shown the strongest growth, increasing by 10.48%, followed by the government sector, which expanded by 6.09%

  Oregon Labor Force Update

  Following the BLS revision, Oregon’s Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) was reported at 62.7% in January. Previous LFPR estimates for November and December were revised downward to 62.7%.

  With the March 5, 2025, revision, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was reported at 4.3%, reflecting an upward revision to unemployment figures. However, this remains unchanged from the revised December rate of 4.3%.

  Key Findings—Oregon January ‘25 Labor Force Data 

  • Following the BLS revision, Oregon’s Labor Force Participation Rate  was reported at 62.7% in January. Previous LFPR estimates for November and December were revised downward to 62.7%.
  •  With the March 5, 2025, revision, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was reported at 4.3%, reflecting an upward revision to unemployment figures. However, this remains unchanged from the revised December rate of 4.3%.

  Data Sources

  Employment and labor force figures are benchmarked toBLS data through November 2024 for Current Employment Statistics (CES) and through December 2024 for LAUS.December 2024 LAUS data is used as reported, while December 2024 and January 2025 CES employment estimates are updated using growth rates from the Oregon Employment Department's CES program.