January Unemployment Rates Lowest in over 25 Years. Coos County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined in January to 5.7 percent from a revised 6.2 percent in December. The rate is 1.0 percentage point below the January 2016 rate (6.7%). The last time a January rate was this low was prior to 1990. Oregon’s seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, a record low; the national rate was 4.8 percent. The county’s total payroll employment declined over the month by 530 jobs. This loss reflects a seasonal pattern observed after the winter holiday season. There were no significant, over-the-month, employment increases reported. Curry County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined in January to 6.3 percent from a revised 6.8 percent in December. The rate is 1.3 percentage points below the January 2016 rate (7.6%). The last time a January rate was this low was prior to 1990. The county’s total payroll employment declined over the month by 200 jobs. This loss reflects a seasonal pattern observed after the winter holiday season. There were no significant, over-the-month employment increases reported. Curry County lost 40 jobs over the year ending in January, a decline of 0.6 percent.
