Portland Jobs Report: Health Care Keeps Hiring as Factory and Tech Jobs Slide

Published: September 24, 2026 | By LocalJobPage Team

PORTLAND, OR — The latest Portland jobs report reads like two economies sharing one metro. Health care keeps hiring and construction crews added bodies all summer, while factory floors in Washington County and the region's tech shops keep shrinking. If you're job hunting between Hillsboro and Gresham this fall, which side of that split you're on matters more than the headline number.

Oregon lost 800 jobs in August and sits at 5.1% unemployment, a full point above the nation. Health care is the exception. Here's where Portland job seekers should aim.

Ready to search? Jump to the job links in the sectors still hiring →

📍 August by the Numbers

Oregon unemployment, August 2026	5.1% (seasonally adjusted), down from 5.2% in July
Oregon payroll jobs, August	Down 800 from July
Oregon payroll jobs, past 12 months	Down 10,900, or 0.5%
Portland metro payroll jobs, August	About 1,215,300 (preliminary, not seasonally adjusted)
Portland metro, past 12 months	Down 1.5%
Portland metro unemployment, July 2026	4.9% (preliminary, not seasonally adjusted)

Oregon's Jobless Rate Is Stuck Above the Nation's

The Oregon Employment Department reported on September 16 that the state's unemployment rate slipped to 5.1% in August from 5.2% in July. The department notes the rate has sat between 5.0% and 5.3% for 18 straight months, while the national rate held at 4.1%. Oregon isn't collapsing. It's stalled.

Payrolls fell by 800 jobs in August. Professional and business services took the biggest hit, down 1,100. Construction added 700 jobs and retail trade added 500, an early sign of seasonal staffing.

The Portland Metro Is Down, but the Slide Is Slowing

For the seven-county Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts August payrolls at roughly 1,215,300, a preliminary figure that is 1.5% below a year earlier. That's a real loss, but in March the metro was running 2.6% behind the prior year, one of the steepest declines in the country. The gap has narrowed since.

The losses are concentrated. Metro manufacturing, the semiconductor and metals backbone of Hillsboro and the Columbia corridor, is down 4% from a year ago. The information sector, covering software, telecom and media, is down more than 8%.

💼 Where the Portland Jobs Actually Are

Health care is carrying the region. Statewide, health care and social assistance added 10,200 jobs over the past year, a 3.2% gain, while manufacturing lost 6,800. In the Portland metro, education and health services is the only major sector growing year over year, up 2.2%, and it's now one of the two largest employer groups in the region, neck and neck with trade, transportation and utilities.

If you want a piece of that growth, the big names are the region's health systems, including OHSU, Providence and Legacy Health, along with the clinics and home care agencies that hire caregivers and medical assistants.

Construction is the other story. Metro construction employment climbed from about 72,100 jobs in March to about 77,500 in August. It's still a little below last year, but the summer run-up was strong. Retail's August gain is the usual early signal for holiday hiring at Washington Square and Clackamas Town Center.

⚠️ What This Means If You're Job Hunting

Coming out of tech or manufacturing: expect a slower search. Look at adjacent roles in health systems, utilities and government IT.
Entry-level or changing careers: caregiving, medical assistant and patient access roles are among the quickest on-ramps in this market.
Skilled trades: the construction numbers are moving the right way. This fall is a good time to move.
Need something now: seasonal retail and warehouse work opens up over the next six weeks. Apply early.

🔎 Start Searching in the Sectors Still Hiring

These searches point at the parts of the Portland economy still adding jobs.

Start here:

Portland Jobs Report FAQ

What is Oregon's unemployment rate right now?

5.1% in August 2026, seasonally adjusted, according to the Oregon Employment Department. The U.S. rate was 4.1%.

Is the Portland job market getting better or worse?

Metro payrolls are 1.5% below a year ago, but that decline has shrunk since March, when it stood at 2.6%.

Which Portland industries are hiring?

Education and health services is the only major metro sector up over the year. Construction added roughly 5,400 metro jobs between March and August.

When is the next jobs report?

The Oregon Employment Department releases statewide September figures on Wednesday, October 14.

Get Ahead of the Next Report

A soft market rewards people who are already visible. Create your free LocalJobPage profile so Portland-area employers can find you, and browse every open job across the metro.

Employers: hiring in health care, the trades or holiday retail? Post your openings here and reach Portland job seekers looking right now.