The Impact of COVID-19 on the Labor Market in Jackson and Josephine Counties
July 2, 2020 In May 2020, Jackson County’s unemployment rate was 14.4 percent, up 9.8 percentage points from last year. Josephine County’s unemployment rate was 13.9 percent, up 8.7 percentage points over last year. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted residents at record levels reflecting the recession that has impacted the entire United States. On May 15, 2020 Jackson and Josephine County were approved to enter phase one reopening. Phase one allowed restaurants and bars, personal services, and gyms to resume operations. Some establishments in these areas did reopen but some have continued to be closed. On June 5, 2020 phase two was approved for the Rogue Valley. This allowed for some non-essential travel and smaller groups to resume meeting. As of July 1, 2020, the hardest hit accommodation and food services category continues to see temporarily closed businesses and others have closed permanently.Accommodation and food services businesses have experienced the biggest impact of this COVID-19 crisis. The retail trade industry followed food service in the biggest decline, with many businesses having to close their doors to the public until the reopening phases began. Health care and social assistance rounded out the top three of the industries to sustain a major hit during the pandemic. Although you might not expect health care to be heavily affected during a health crisis, many health related businesses that are not serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 response such as dentist offices, medical labs, and surgery centers were closed for business as elective and non-emergency procedures were cancelled. Beginning May 1, elective procedures were allowed across the state and many have been trying to serve the backlog of patients.


