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Oregon Workforce and Economic Information
Nearly One Out of Four Workers in Oregon is 55 or Older
Oregon’s workforce is aging. The number of Oregon jobs held by workers age 55 and over more than tripled from 1992 to 2018, while the total number of jobs grew by just over 50 percent. Workers 55 years and over held just 10 percent of the jobs in 1992. By 2018, that share increased to 23 percent. Driving this trend is the fact that much of the Baby Boomer Generation is now 55 and over, and they
Read MoreCareer Planning and Exploration Publications Available at No Cost
The Oregon Employment Department has recently released two career planning and exploration publications, Oregon Careers and Career Aware I.
Oregon Careers 2020 magazine is aimed at the career planning needs of those planning to enter the workforce for the first time, those looking to change careers or re-enter the workforce. It contains information about how to select and prepare for a career.
December 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
Benton and Washington County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rates at 3.0 percent in December 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December included Hood River (3.1%) and Multnomah (3.2%). Seven counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate
Read MoreOregon’s Unemployment Rate Drops to 3.7 Percent in December
Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent in December, the lowest on comparable records dating back to 1976. The November unemployment rate was 3.9 percent.
“The latest estimates suggest there are fewer unemployed Oregonians now than at any point since 1976, when comparable records begin. That’s especially striking considering Oregon’s labor force is twice as large as it was 44 years
Read MoreOregon Ranks 10th in Rate of In-Migration from 2018 to 2019
On December 30, 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau released state population change estimates from July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. Oregon ranked 10th in rate of net in-migration.
Here is how Oregon ranked in other published categories:
27th in population as of July 1, 2019 (4,217,737)
15th in population growth since 2018 (35,851)
13th in population growth rate since 2018 (0.9%)
11th net
Wage Disparity by Race and Ethnicity
Over the last decade, the wage disparity by race and ethnicity in Oregon has remained consistent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD), Asian and non-Hispanic white workers have the highest wages. In 2018, wages for black, American Indian, mixed-race, and Hispanic or Latino workers of any race ranged between $39,000 and $45,000 annually – at least
Read MoreWage Inequality in Oregon: A Wide Gap
Over the past 28 years, the distribution of wage income in Oregon has continued to become more unequal. In 2018, employees who worked all four quarters of the year earned a total of nearly $89.3 billion in covered wages, an inflation-adjusted increase of more than $47 billion since 1990. The number of four-quarter workers rose by 63 percent during that time period, with the average four-quarter
Read MoreOregon Employment Forecast: Slow and Stable
Entering its eleventh year, the U.S. economic expansion is now the longest in recorded history. Growth slowed in 2019, and the burning question is why? Economic weakness – foretelling a recession – or simply what one might expect in such a mature expansion?
The answer likely lies somewhere in between. Business investment has been weak to nonexistent over the past year. The trade war, tariffs,
Read MoreNovember 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.1 percent in November 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in November included Washington (3.2%), Hood River (3.3%), and Multnomah (3.4%). These four counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the
Read MoreOregon General Merchandise Stores – Surviving the “Retail Apocalypse”
Retail market analysts love talking about the retail apocalypse, i.e. the imminent death of brick and mortar stores thanks to the Internet and Amazon. However, retail trade is a large and diverse sector, and oversimplified predictions may not accurately portray some of its segments.
In 2018, retail trade employment reached 211,066 or about one out of 10 jobs in Oregon. After food and beverage
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