Oregon Retail Jobs Fall Nearly 6% as State Ranks Among Worst in Nation
According to Oregon state and federal data, the state’s retail jobs declined 5.9% since 2019, compared with a national average decline of 1.3%- the 10th sharpest decline nationwide.
Oregon’s Retail Sector Steadily Declining
Historically, Oregon’s retail sector accounted for a higher share of the state’s jobs than the national average. In 2016, 11.3% of Oregon’s nonfarm jobs were in retail trade, and the national share of retail jobs was about 10.9%.
While it’s unclear whether the job losses in retail are due to closures, large retailers in the Portland area, such as Target, have shut down, citing increased crime levels. But overall, online buying has led to retail closures.
And despite the retail sector adding 900 jobs in march, over the last 7 years, jobs in this sector declined by 5.9%.
Sources: Oregon Employment Department, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and KATU retail employment reporting
Dailytidings.com
The worst retail sector job declines in the US were:
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | 14.8% |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Hawaii | 10.8% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 10.2% |
| 4 | New York | 9.8% |
| 5 | Connecticut | 8.6% |
| 6 | Vermont | 6.5% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6.4% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 6.1% |
| 9 | Louisiana | 6.0% |
| 10 | Oregon | 5.9% |
At the same time, Oregon’s jobless rate stuck at 5.2%, also trailing the US average of 4.3%.