Oregon's unemployment rate fell in November to 9.1 percent, the lowest in three years, as retailers hired 6,400 for the holiday season.

The sharp drop paralleled November’s national jobless rate, which also fell 0.4 percent, to 8.6 percent. But economists say the declines don't mean more people are finding jobs.

"Similar to the national data, the drop in the rate of unemployment is due to the number of people who exited the labor force by no longer looking for work," said Patrick Emerson, an Oregon State University economist,

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Oregon’s total employment, measured in a separate monthly survey, declined by 1,600 in November, following a revised loss of 600 in October. Gains in sectors including construction were offset by losses in leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, financial activities and government.

Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached a high of 11.6 percent in May and June 2009 and has slowly declined since then. It had been stuck in a narrow range for several months, most recently at 9.5 percent in October.

“At 9.1 percent in November, it is at its lowest rate since November 2008, when Oregon’s rate was 8.4 percent,” an

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