Portland metro unemployment holds steady in June; Salem, Eugene, Medford, Corvallis see upticks

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Retailers such as the Danner Shoe Co. saw modest gains in metropolitan area jobs in June, the Oregon Employment Department reported Monday.

(Allan Brettman / The Oregonian)

Unemployment held steady at 6.1 percent in the Portland metro area in June, but crept upward in most other urban areas of the state, according to figures issued Monday by the Oregon Employment Department. Only the Bend area showed improvement from May to June, according to the figures.

The monthly report again highlights the sharp divide in the fortunes of job seekers in different parts of the state. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates remain above 10 percent in Crook, Curry, Grant and Harney counties. But Benton, Hood River and Washington counties have seasonally adjusted unemployment rates between 5 and 6 percent.

In the Portland area, which includes Hillsboro and Vancouver, the number of employed people climbed slightly to 1,109,000, a gain of about 3,100 from May, the department said. Gains were scattered across multiple categories, including retail, semiconductor manufacturing, transportation, finance and insurance and administrative services.

The metro area report reflects the somewhat surprising figures reported by the department earlier in the month, when it noted that job losses in June offset the gains of May. It was the first reversal of statewide employment trends in 11 months.

-- Mike Francis

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