Oregon Coast Economy Improving, May 13

A regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department reports “Oregon’s coastal economy finally began to grow in 2013.”  Erik Knoder goes on to state, “The year started off with a bang; employment in January 2013 was more than eight hundred jobs above the level of the previous January.”  Employment increased as summer approached and by July the over-the-year growth was 1,200 jobs.  “Unfortunately, that was the peak and over-the-year employment change fell, then stabilized.”  Employment made its usual drop in the late fall and the Coast finished the year with 950 more jobs than December 2012.