Oregon’s unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.3 percent in May compared with 5.2 percent in April. This kept the state’s rate close to the national level, with the U.S. unemployment rate at 5.5 percent in May. Payroll employment growth paused in May, posting a seasonally adjusted decline of 1,400, the first monthly drop since September 2012. Despite the one-month decline in jobs, payroll employment was still up substantially over the year, having added 50,500 jobs since May of last year. Taking a breather from rapid growth in recent months, most industries hired close to their normal, seasonal numbers of jobs in May.