At first glance the news that rural unemployment rates decreased in Oregon may appear to be good, but state officials say the encouraging numbers are only a result of rural unemployed giving up on the local search for jobs in favor of looking for work in larger cities. "They're getting tired of looking and not getting anywhere," Susan Scheufele, program manager at the Josephine County Food Bank in Grants Pass, tells Richard Read of The Oregonian. "As far as I know, there has not been a substantial increase in jobs in Josephine County."
County figures released Monday showed unemployment rates in Portland metro increased, many rural rates dropped. While seasonally adjusted unemployment fell in 28 of Oregon's 36 counties, separate data showed many of those counties lost jobs during the month. Analysts were surprised to see Portland metro's rate jump above the state average, an increase some have attributed to rural unemployed moving the the city to find jobs. "The move to Portland is happening, and the move to Bend is happening," Carolyn Eagan, a state employment economist in Bend, told Read. "In Central Oregon, we just continue to lose jobs." (Read more)
How are rural unemployment rates changing in your state? Can fluctuations be attributed to a rural migration to cities?
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