Apr. 23--Job losses kept piling up across the Southwest Washington-Portland area last month as the economic downturn continued to affect construction, manufacturing and retail trade.

Eight counties on both sides of the river, plus Salem, Ore., all reported job losses and higher unemployment last month. The combined regional labor market registered an 11.9 percent jobless rate in March, more than double a year ago. An estimated 44,600 jobs have been cut throughout the region in 12 months through March, for a 4.2 percent decline.

Employment erosion here is worse than the U.S. average, which was down 3.5 percent through March, and Washington's, down 3.3 percent, but less than Oregon's 5.3 percent. Last month was the 14th straight month of employment declines in the region.

In terms of actual job losses, Clark County is faring better than others. In-county employment is down just 0.7 percent, said Scott Bailey, labor analyst for the Washington Employment Security Department. That's because the labor force has grown, with more unemployed people moving to the county.

In the region, only three industries added jobs on a net basis, Bailey said. Those were private education (mostly private colleges in Portland), food services (seasonal hires) and K-12 education (all in Washington). Health care is slowing down and did not change over the month. Here's an industry-by-industry regional snapshot:

-- Manufacturing in the PDX-Southwest Washington region has lost 10,200 jobs for an 8 percent decline in the 12 months through March. Most of the cuts have been in durable goods such as electronics, machinery, transportation equipment, wood products and paper.

-- Trade and transportation lost 10,900 or 5 percent of employment in the past year.

-- Information services, which includes publishing and telecommunications, has shed 1,500 jobs over the past year.

-- Professional services lost 1,200 jobs in the 12 months through March as such businesses as architectural firms and engineering firms cut workers.

Are any sectors adding jobs?

According to Bailey, education and health services have added jobs or at least are holding steady. Government employment in the region added jobs. Government employment is up 2,300 jobs for the year, for a 1.5 percent growth rate. Bailey cautioned that a new fiscal year will likely bring cuts in the government sector as state agencies and public education deal with a decline in funding from tax revenue.

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