After a round of layoffs, one popular sportswear company plans to create more Portland OR jobs.

Earlier this month, Adidas America Inc. laid off a small number of employees as part of a restructuring effort in the United States. The company did not release the exact number of workers who were let go, but said it would release further details at a later date, according to an article by Portland Business Journal.

That same restructuring plan, however, will ultimately result in the addition of 60 jobs at the company’s Portland headquarters. Adidas, which is the North American subsidiary of the German sportswear and apparel company Adidas AG, currently employs 800 workers at its headquarters.

“Today Adidas America, Inc. announced a restructuring of its organization in support of the launch of a new U.S. business plan,” the company stated in a release. “This action will result in a net increase to employee headcount at the company’s Portland, Oregon headquarters. The purpose of this restructuring is to simplify the business, increase efficiency, prioritize resources and position the company for long-term growth and opportunity.

“While the company is ultimately creating more jobs, many of the new positions demand a different skill set and experience level, thereby requiring the company to release some employees and recruit new talent,” the company adds. “Although these decisions are very difficult, the company is making the strategic moves necessary in order to not only maintain but increase market position.”

The Portland area could use the additional jobs, as the unemployment rate has increased and the local economy is still shedding jobs on a monthly and yearly basis.

During December 2009, the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton area’s unemployment rate increased from 10.4 percent to 10.6 percent, following a decrease from 10.6 percent during November. That increase places the area’s rate above the national unemployment rate at the time of 10 percent, although that rate has now declined to 9.7 percent.

The Portland area had a total non-farm employment of 978,900 workers during December, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 982,200 workers during November and a 4.7 percent decrease from December 2008.

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