Oregon unemployment remains flat in August

Unemployment remained almost perfectly flat in August, with 21 of Oregon's 36 counties stuck in double-digit unemployment.

Crook County tops them all, at 15.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, according to the Oregon Employment Department's monthly local jobs report issued Tuesday. 

Greater Portland continues outperforming the countryside, gaining 2,500 jobs in August, including temp hiring that can be a lead indicator of employment growth. The metro area's unemployment level -- 9.1 percent in August -- was the only urban rate that budged last month, falling by a statistically insignificant tenth of a percentage point. 

"We're not really seeing any improvement," said Mark McMullen, state government's acting chief economist. "A lot of rural Oregon has been left behind by the recovery so far."

Read more at OregonLive.com.

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