Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s unemployment rate remained flat for yet another month, according to numbers that state officials released Monday.

The unemployment rate for July is 11.9 percent – virtually the same as it’s been every month since March. But Tom Fuller with the state Employment Department says there is an encouraging trend in the July numbers.

Tom Fuller: “The good news is that from June, the numbers of folks claiming benefits has dropped about 21 percent. Now, it’s still quite a bit higher than it was at this time last year, but we are seeing a moderation in the folks who are claiming benefits – and it’s not because they’ve run out of benefits.”

But at the same time, employment officials say Oregon’s job picture continutes to be gloomier than the country's as a whole.

Oregon's unemployment rate is expected to be about fourth worst in the U.S.

Manufacturing, construction and recreation continue to lose jobs or add far fewer jobs than expected at this time of year.

Education, health care, government and the utility and transportation services’ sectors appear to be doing the best.