Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Page 14
Employment numbers a mixed bag
Oregon’s seasonally ad-
justed unemployment rate
was 10.5 percent in June,
essentially unchanged from
10.6 percent in May, accord-
ing to the Oregon Employ-
ment Dept. (OED).
The rate has been be-
tween 10.5 and 10.7 percent
for the most recent eight
months. Oregon’s unemploy-
ment rate was 11.6 percent in
June 2009, which tied May
2009 as Oregon’s highest
unemployment rate since the
early 1980s, said OED.
The seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate for the
United States dropped to 9.5
percent in June from 9.7 per-
cent in May.
In June, Oregon’s sea-
sonally adjusted nonfarm
payroll employment dropped
by 3,600, following a gain of
2,600 (as revised) in May.
In June, government em-
ployment declined due
mainly to the ending of 2,600
temporary Census jobs. In the
private sector, most of the
major industries had monthly
job changes that were close to
their normal seasonal pattern.
The biggest exception was in
professional and business
services, which posted a sea-
sonally adjusted job decline
of 2,500.
There was a substantial
upward revision to the May
payroll employment numbers.
The originally reported sea-
sonally adjusted totals
showed no change between
April and May. Revised num-
bers show a gain of 2,600
jobs, said OED.
The upward revisions
were spread across several
service-providing industries:
government; educational and
health services; professional
and business services; and
trade, transportation, and
utilities, OED said.
Government shed 3,500
jobs in June at a time of year
when a loss of only 300 is
expected due to seasonality.
The ending of work for 2,611
intermittent Census workers
reduced federal government
and total government for
June, subtracting from the
6,403 individuals working for
the Census during May.
OED added:
“State and local govern-
ments performed in line with
normal seasonal patterns in
June, and both are close to
their respective employment
levels of June 2009.
“Professional and busi-
ness services took a sudden
drop of 2,500 jobs on a sea-
sonally adjusted basis in June,
following a flat seasonally
adjusted trend since October.
Much of the decline in June
was due to below-normal
hiring in the component in-
dustry “administrative and
waste services.” This industry
is down 3,700 jobs during the
past 12 months with job
losses in all of its component
categories.
“The closely watched
employment services industry
employed only 27,000 in
June, which was 700 below
its year-ago level. The expan-
sion in this industry seen in
recent quarters has stalled in
the most recent months. Ser-
vices to buildings and dwell-
ings is also down substan-
tially over the year, with a
loss of 1,000 jobs since last
June.
“This industry continues
to see declines even though
the broader economy is ar-
guably in recovery.
“Trade, transportation,
and utilities added 1,500 jobs
in June, about its typical June
seasonal pattern. However, its
component industries re-
ported differing trends.
“Retail trade dropped
again in June, losing 2,100
jobs on a seasonally adjusted
basis. This was the third con-
secutive such job loss. Motor
vehicle and parts dealers cut
300 jobs in June. This retail
industry suffered a huge drop
in business within the past
two years.
“It has recovered some-
what during the past year,
pushing up employment by
700 since June 2009. How-
ever, employing a total of
22,400 jobs in June, it is still
well below its typical June of
close to 27,000 for the years
1999 through 2008.
“Wholesale trade contin-
ued to rebound, having added
2,700 jobs on a seasonally
adjusted basis since its low in
November 2009.
In June, transportation,
warehousing, and utilities
shot up 1,100 jobs on a sea-
sonally adjusted basis. Truck
transportation added 200 jobs
in June but is still down 1,400
from its June 2009 level.
“Financial activities rose
300 in June to 93,000, a level
it has been close to for the
first six months of 2010. Real
estate and rental and leasing
added 600 jobs in June but
remained below 36,000,
which is near its lowest level
of the past 15 years and well
below its peak of near 45,000
of nearly three years ago.
“Insurance carriers cut
200 in June to reach 25,000.
This industry’s employment
has been trending downward
since early 2008, when nearly
27,000 were employed.
“Educational and health
services cut only 2,400 jobs
in June, when a loss of 4,100
is the normal seasonal pat-
tern. Private educational ser-
vices was the primary reason
for the better-than-normal
showing in June, as the pub-
lished figure was a cut of only
1,600 jobs during the start of
the summer break.
“Employing 28,800, edu-
cational services was 200
above its year-ago figure.
“Health care and social
assistance cut 800 jobs in
June and was up only 600
since June 2009. During the
past 20 years, health-care
employment had been grow-
ing at one of the fastest and
most steady paces of all the
industries. However, within
the past six months to a year
several of its component in-
dustries have slowed or even
declined in terms of job
counts. Ambulatory health
care services is down 1,200
since June 2009 and hospitals
have shed 400 in that time.
“Nursing and residential-
care facilities, while up by
1,300 jobs during the year,
has cut back by 600 since its
peak figure in February. So-
cial assistance cut 600 in
June, but is up 900 since June
2009.
“Construction added
2,100 jobs in June as it
ramped up for the busy sum-
mer building season. This
gain, which came from all
published industry compo-
nents, was close to the normal
gain for the time of year. The
industry typically adds thou-
sands of workers in July and
August, followed by cutbacks
in subsequent months.
“With the typical June
gain, construction continued
to hold close to 65,000
(seasonally adjusted), where
it has been hovering all year.
“Manufacturing added
only 2,200 jobs in June, when
its normal seasonal pattern
calls for a gain of 2,800. Food
manufacturing added 900 to
reach 24,400, its highest June
employment level since 1998.
“This is one of the few
manufacturing industries in
Oregon that has seen increas-
ing employment in recent
years. Conversely, many of
the durable goods manufac-
turing industries continue to
shed workers. Durable goods
is down 4,200 since June
2009, with cutbacks seen in
the following industries over
the past year: wood products
(-900 jobs), fabricated metals
(-1,300), machinery (-1,400),
computer and electronic prod-
ucts (-500), and transportation
equipment (-700).
Unemployment
(Household Survey Data)
“In June, Oregon’s sea-
sonally adjusted unemploy-
ment rate remained essen-
tially unchanged at 10.5 per-
cent compared with 10.6 per-
cent in May.
“The unemployment rate
dropped significantly since
reaching a peak a year ago.
During June 2009 Oregon
had the highest seasonally
adjusted unemployment rate
in nearly three decades,
reaching 11.6 percent. Simi-
larly, the number of unem-
ployed Oregonians has
dropped substantially, by
more than 25,000 during that
12-month period.
“During June, 203,884
Oregonians were unem-
ployed. In June 2009,
229,471 Oregonians were
unemployed.”
OED was to release the
June county and metropolitan
area unemployment rates on
Monday, July 19, and the
statewide unemployment rate
and employment survey data
for July on Aug. 17.
Eastfork (above) was
among bands featured dur-
ing the seventh-annual Illi-
nois Valley Chamber of
Commerce-sponsored Siski-
you Bluegrass Festival, held
Saturday, July 17 at Lake
Selmac. The festival also
featured performances by
the Goldman Family (left)
and Jefferson (bottom);
‘Kuzin Keith’ Fuller (below,
left) once again served as
Master of Ceremonies.
(Photos by Michelle Binker,
Illinois Valley News )
For all your home repair/maintenance needs
call Mike at 541-531-6220
Licensed, bonded, & insured. CCB 174891
AG gets tough with Pacific Foods
The Kerby
Transfer Station
Tualatin company alleged to have concealed distribution, recall
of contaminated soy products
An agreement has been
reached with Pacific Nutri-
tional Foods Inc., an Oregon
food processor that allegedly
sold contaminated food prod-
ucts after learning of the con-
tamination and failed to in-
form the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
Oregon Attorney General
John Kroger announced the
agreement.
“Consumers must be able
to trust that food on the shelf
is safe to eat,” said Deputy
Attorney General Mary Wil-
liams. “Companies that
knowingly risk or compro-
mise the public health will be
held accountable.”
In October 2009, the
FDA issued a warning letter
after conducting several in-
spections of the Tualatin food
processing facility. The letter
detailed serious violations of
low-acid and canned food
regulations that rendered Pa-
cific Nutritional Foods’ soy
and oat-based beverage prod-
ucts “adulterated” because
they were prepared, packed or
held under unsanitary condi-
tions and as a result were un-
fit for consumption.
The FDA warning letter
prompted the Oregon Dept.
of Justice (ODJ) to conduct
an independent review that
revealed numerous violations
by Pacific Nutritional Foods.
It failed to comply with vari-
ous procedural and reporting
requirements intended to en-
sure the safety of commer-
cially processed food, accord-
ing to ODJ. It added:
“On multiple occasions,
Pacific Nutritional Foods
discovered potentially harm-
ful micro-organisms in prod-
ucts it had released for distri-
bution. It surreptitiously with-
drew the products from the
market without issuing a for-
mal recall.
“FDA guidelines require
commercial processors of low
-acid foods to promptly report
to the agency when contami-
nated food has in whole or in
part entered distribution.
“In addition, the com-
pany failed to address what
might have caused the tainted
soy products and did not in-
stitute any policies or proce-
dures to mitigate the possibil-
ity of future contamination.”
The settlement requires
Pacific Nutritional Foods Inc.
to pay $15,000 to ODJ; de-
velop adequate protocols for
preventing and responding to
future contaminations; and
comply with state and federal
regulations and reporting re-
quirements.
Senior Assistant Attor-
ney General Greg Smith han-
dled the case for ODJ.
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