Employment
Oregon’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.4% in January
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.4% in January and 4.3%, as revised, in December, after rising gradually over the past year from 4.1% in January 2024. Oregon’s 4.4% unemployment rate was the highest since September 2021, when the rate was also 4.4%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in December 2024…
Read MoreOregon health care workforce growing, but challenges remain
Further support needed to train, recruit and retain diverse health professionals statewide SALEM, Ore. — While Oregon continues to make progress in bolstering and diversifying its health care workforce, challenges remain and more work is needed, concludes an Oregon Health Authority (OHA) report. The report also offers a wide range of…
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Child Care Infrastructure Fund Awards $10 Million to Support Oregon’s Child Care Providers
64 child care infrastructure projects were awarded in the first round of the program. DECEMBER 3, 2024 Business Oregon is pleased to announce that award letters have been distributed via email for the first round of the Child Care Infrastructure Program, which provides financial assistance for child care infrastructure activities.…
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Oregon’s Aging Workforce by Industry and County in 2023
Oregon’s workforce has been aging for decades. The number of Oregon jobs held by workers age 55 and over more than tripled from 1992 to 2023, while the total number of jobs grew by more than half (58%). In 1992, workers 55 years and over held 10% of all jobs.…
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Rebuilding the Pipeline: Supply and Demand in the Skilled Trades
Many of the systems that make modern life possible and comfortable are brought to you by skilled tradespeople. From the plumbing just beyond the walls to the overhead lines powering the screen you’re reading now, the systems we rely on are created and maintained by people who have mastered a…
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Technology Reduces Employment in the Printing Industry
Employment in printing and related support activities has been on the decline since the late 1990s. Advances in digital technology have contributed to the decline in two important ways: first, by changing the marketplace the industry operates in as options to deliver information become more diverse; and second, by improving…
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Oregon’s Hazelnut Harvest
By Pat O’Connor Oregon Regional Economist Orchards are not very difficult to find in Oregon. In the Columbia Gorge, one can hardly miss the cherry, pear, and apple orchards. In southern Oregon, pear orchards fill Jackson County’s countryside. The Willamette Valley has a variety of fruit and nut orchards, but more acres in the valley are…
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Oregon’s Marijuana Industry and Employment Trends
By Guy Tauer Oregon Regional Economist While not a “new” industry in the sense the seeds were sown by a new technology, product, or market, rather the marijuana industry that has been flowing through Oregon’s economy for decades. This industry has a long-standing presence and is even more concentrated in…
Read MoreThe Diversity of Oregon’s Industries
By Jake Procino Oregon Workforce Analyst Oregon’s total nonfarm employment is less racially and ethnically diverse than average across the United States. Among the U.S. private-sector workforce in 2023, 24% reported a race other than white alone, compared with Oregon’s 15%. Moreover, the ethnic diversity of the U.S. is more robust…
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Oregon’s Nonfarm Payroll Employment Rises by 8,500 Jobs in July
By Gail Krumenauer, State of Oregon Employment Economist In July, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose by 8,500 jobs,following a revised decline of 700 jobs in June. July’s gains were largest in professional andbusiness services (+2,300 jobs); health care and social assistance (+2,000); government(+1,800); and construction (+1,400). Declines in…
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A summary of Oregon OSHA’s permanent rules for protection from wildfire smoke
Here’s a summary of the Oregon OSHA’s permanent rules for protection from wildfire smoke: Oregon OSHA has adopted permanent rules (OAR 437-002-1081 and OAR 437-004-9791) to protect workers exposed to hazardous levels of wildfire smoke. These rules apply to employers whose employees face wildfire smoke risks. The rules are based on…
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Western Cascade is 7th Timber Mill to close in Oregon this year.
Western Cascade Industries, a lumber mill located in Toledo, Oregon, is closing its doors this week. Approximately 50 people will be affected by the closure. The mill’s general manager, Walt Adams, shared that the decision appears to be driven by a downturn in the lumber market and insufficient log supply. Unfortunately, this…
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