Oregon jobless rate drops to record low set in 1995

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's average unemployment rate has fallen to match a previous low record set in the economic boom of the mid-1990s.

The Register-Guard reported Thursday that according to the state Employment Department, Oregon's unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in December, from 5 percent in November. For 2016, Oregon had an average rate of 4.9 percent, matching a previous low set in 1995.

Between December 2015 and December 2016, employers in Oregon added 52,900 jobs when seasonally adjusted, an increase of 2.9 percent. The national job growth rate is 1.5 percent.

The state's fastest-growing industries in 2016 by percentage were construction, which grew by 8.1 percent, other services such as repair and maintenance, which grew by 4.8 percent, and professional and business services, which grew by 4.5 percent.