Oregon jobless rate holds steady at 4.1%

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's unemployment rate did not budge in February.

The state Employment Department said Tuesday the jobless rate was 4.1 percent - the same as in December and January. The month saw strong job gains in retail, construction and health care.

Payroll employment has grown by 43,700 jobs over the past year, with construction and the leisure-and-hospitality industry faring particularly well.

Recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Oregon - at 2.7 percent - had the country's fifth-fastest job growth between January 2017 and January 2018. It trailed Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Washington.