BEND, OR -- Central Oregon jobless numbers showed little movement, in January. Deschutes County unemployment ticked up .2%, to 4.6%; Crook County bumped up .1% to 6.6% and Jefferson County dropped a tenth of a point to 6%.
Regional economist Damon Runberg tells KBND News the numbers are a little surprising, given recent weather. "I think there was an idea or thought that the winter weather we saw would really lead to increases in the unemployment rate or a slowdown in job growth compared to what we see seasonably, with the inability for construction workers to be out working on buildings, or folks not even able to get into job sites, etc. And really, we saw Central Oregon stay pat with what we’d expect." While there weren’t any big layoffs, Runberg says it’s likely the region followed the statewide trend, which showed a reduction in the number of hours worked in January.