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# Oregon Loses 10,900 Jobs as Unemployment Holds Near 5%
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-oregon-2026-09-18-b/
- Published: 2026-09-18T09:47:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-18T09:47:11.000Z
- Description: Oregon lost 10,900 jobs over the past year as August unemployment held at 5.1%. Health care grew while manufacturing contracted, and new county-level data will arrive September 22.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: State News, Oregon

Oregon employers shed 800 jobs in August, extending a year in which the state lost 10,900 payroll positions even as unemployment edged down to 5.1%, according to the [Oregon Employment Department’s September 16 report](https://www.flashalert.net/images/news/2026-09/930/190981/employment%5Fin%5FOregon%5FAugust%5F2026%5Fpress%5Frelease.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com).

The figures point to a labor market that is no longer deteriorating rapidly but has not returned to broad growth. The jobless rate has stayed between 5.0% and 5.3% for 18 months, while the national rate was 4.1% in August. Oregon’s August decline followed a revised loss of 1,800 jobs in July.

For workers and employers, the practical picture differs sharply by industry. Manufacturing lost 6,800 jobs over the past year, the largest decline among major sectors. By contrast, health care and social assistance added 10,200 jobs, a 3.2% increase. Private education and other services were the only other broad industries to post year-over-year gains, the state report said. That divergence matters for jobseekers: statewide totals can obscure continued openings in care work while production, lodging, food service and parts of government remain under pressure.

The August data also show why a lower unemployment rate does not necessarily mean businesses added jobs. Payroll employment comes from a survey of employers, while unemployment is estimated from a household survey and other sources. The state counted about 113,800 unemployed Oregonians in August, down roughly 3,700 from July, while the labor force grew by more than 15,000.

The [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Oregon profile](https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.or.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com), extracted September 16, shows the same longer pattern: total nonfarm employment was down from a year earlier, with manufacturing, government, information, and leisure and hospitality among the weaker categories. Education and health services remained the clearest source of growth.

There are early signs that the decline may be leveling off. Oregon added a net 1,800 jobs from March through August. Construction gained 2,200 positions during that period, retail trade added 1,400, and health care and social assistance added 3,800\. Those gains were partly offset by continued losses in manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, and government.

Manufacturing’s weakness is spread across several industries rather than one isolated closure. In an [OPB report published September 17](https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/17/oregon-slow-steady-decline-jobs-unemployment/?ref=theamericanquorum.com), state employment economist Gail Krumenauer cited prolonged weakness in food manufacturing, sawmill and wood-product closures, and semiconductor-related declines. State data show computer and electronic-product manufacturing down 3,500 jobs from August 2025, including 2,900 fewer semiconductor and electronic-component jobs.

Oregonians will get a more local view on September 22, when the Employment Department plans to release August county and metropolitan-area unemployment and jobs estimates. The next statewide report, covering September, is scheduled for October 14\. Until then, the August release suggests a split market: hiring demand remains strong in health care and selected services, while manufacturing and several consumer-facing sectors continue to contract.