In the latest federal ranking, Oregon is number 6 among the states in job growth. The state added nearly 43,000 new jobs over the year ending in February.
The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that job growth in Oregon is the fastest it’s been during the economic recovery.
State economists say the area of the state that’s been adding new jobs the fastest is Bend. Central Oregon is the only area that added new jobs faster than the state as a whole. Medford grew at the slowest rate.
Nick Beleiciks is a state employment economist. He says all the metro areas in the state are adding jobs.
“This is great news for the recovery," Beleiciks says. "This is the sort of job growth that we’ve been waiting for, and we would have liked to seen all along.”
Beleiciks says construction grew faster than any other industry.
The number of unemployed people dropped by about 23,000 over the year.
Copyright 2014 Oregon Public Broadcasting
