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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad July 21, 2006 Unemployment rate has dropped since last year Construction, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality lead the way By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Southern Oregon’s generally healthy economy created 470 new jobs in Jackson County during June, adding 1,560 jobs since June 2005. Thanks to gains in construction, manufacturing and leisure and hospitality the county’s unemployment rate came in at 5.7 percent, down from 6.3 percent in June 2005 and slightly above May’s 5.4 percent. Declines in transportation, professional and business services, health care and social assistance along with local education tempered the overall good news. “Unemployment is hovering around multi-year lows,” said Guy Tauer, Oregon Employment Department regional economist. “There has definitely been a softening of the economy in narrow sectors, but overall things are very good.” Manufacturing employment rose by 70 jobs, despite a drop of 30 in the durable goods sector. Over the year, manufacturing fell by 40, with the loss of 120 wood product manufacturing positions accounting for the weakness there. Higher interest rates and a slower home building are being felt in the county’s wood manufacturing firms. Leisure and hospitality employment rose by 300 and posted an over-the-year gain of 360. Construction employment increased by 110 in June, bringing the over-the-year gain to 280 jobs.” Tauer said there are 450 Medford-area job openings posted at the employment office, ranging from entry-level $8.50 to $9.50 per hour opportunities to a $170,000-a-year critical-care physician position. Boise Cascade, which operates a plywood mill in Medford and sawmill, plywood plant, log yard and laminated veneer plant in White City, is running on the same schedule as this time last year, spokesman Bob Smith said. “Seasonally, this is a stronger time of the year because that’s when building is under way, particularly in Southern California,” he said. “But prices are weaker than a year ago because the housing market is not as robust.” Retail trade has picked up 230 spots in the past 12 months, professional and business services gained 310 workers and health-care employment rose by 220). The “information” sector, however, fell off by 120 jobs. “We’ve seen a lot of demand from print manufacturing and construction labor,” said Carrie Wallace of Cardinal Employment Services. “But there’s been an easing up on the clerical and administrative side.” In Josephine County, total payroll employment rose by 370 jobs in June. The unemployment rate estimate edged up to 6.1 percent from 5.8 percent in May. Nonetheless, it was the lowest June unemployment rate since 1990, using comparable data. Since June 2005, Josephine County has added 1,020 payroll jobs, a growth rate of 3.9 percent. The county added 40 construction jobs, bringing the over-the-year gain to 210. Residential building permit data show 308 residential unit permits issued year to date through May 2006, down from 324 issued though the same period in 2005. Leave a Comment: --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.