Initial Unemployment Claims in Oregon Skyrocket as COVID-19 Layoffs Show Up in the System

This week's figures are a small portion of the enormous impact the pandemic will have on the economy.

The Hoxton Basement Bar.

The Oregon Employment Department today released the first snapshot of what the COVID-19 pandemic will do to the state's economy.

Here's what the agency, which is responsible for unemployment benefits, reported.

"The number of initial unemployment insurance claims filed in Oregon rose from approximately 800 on Sunday, March 16, to a total of 18,500 on Tuesday, March 18, 2020," the agency said.

"Although we know the COVID-19 coronavirus is causing a reduction in economic activity both nationally and in Oregon, it's too early for unemployment rate or payroll jobs numbers to show the impact of these employment disruptions. The Employment Department will provide more information online as updated data become available."

One sector of the workforce has been particularly hard hit: the food and entertainment industry, which has suffered from sharply reduced travel, statewide closure orders and a ban on gatherings of large groups. That industry employs more than 200,000 Oregonians, according to the latest federal statistics.

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