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Oregon Workforce and Economic Information
Oregon Employment Forecast: Clear Skies for Now, Clouds Appear Next Year
Oregon’s economy closed the books on 2018 up 38,000 jobs over 2017 for a growth rate of 2.0 percent; the slowest pace in six years, yet still fast enough to absorb new workers entering the labor force and keep the unemployment rate near record lows. Despite slowing growth, the outlook for 2019 remains positive according to the latest Oregon Economic and Revenue forecast from the Office of
Read MoreRegional Comparisons of Employer-Provided Benefits in Oregon
Our recently released report about employer-provided benefits in Oregon details the most common health, retirement, leave, pay, and other offerings private employers extended to their full-time and part-time employees in June 2018.
Among the key findings: private companies in Portland and the Willamette Valley tended to have the largest shares of employers offering benefits. In addition, larger
Read MoreUnemployment by Reason in Oregon
There is a large amount of turnover in the labor market every month, as many people move between categories of employed, unemployed, and not in the labor force. Movements between these categories are known as “flows.” People move between these categories for several reasons, which generally are considered to be voluntary (such as retirement out of the labor force) or involuntary ( such as a
Read MoreDecember 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in December 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December included Hood River (3.5%), Washington (3.5%), and Multnomah (3.7%).
Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.1 percent and six were at or below the national rate
Read MoreEmployer-Provided Benefits in Oregon
Three-fourths (76%) of Oregon’s private employers offered one or more health, retirement, leave, pay, or other benefits to employees in June 2018. More than half (59%) of all employers offered health benefits, while 51 percent offered retirement benefits. This findings come from a survey of more than 12,000 private employers conducted by the Employment Department, and summarized in the new report
Read MoreOregon’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.1 Percent in December
Oregon’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1 percent in December from 3.9 percent in November. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been close to 4 percent for the past two years. The U.S. unemployment rate also edged up two-tenths of a percentage point, to 3.9 percent in December from 3.7 percent in November.
In December, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 300 jobs, following a revised gain of
Read MoreShutdown Impacts 9,600 Federal Jobs in Oregon
Roughly 9,600 jobs in Oregon are at federal agencies that are not currently funded and are affected by the partial federal government shutdown.
Some of these workers have already been furloughed. Others have funding to cover operations for a few more days. Excepted personnel are still working even though funding for their paychecks has not been appropriated. According to the U.S. Office of
Read MoreOccupations with the Most Jobs Paying Less Than $12.00 per Hour
Oregon’s minimum wage levels were set by Senate Bill 1532 in 2016. The minimum wage increases on July 1st of each year through 2022. There are three tiers of step increases based on geography.Oregon’s most recent minimum wage increase came on July 1, 2018, but the raises weren’t the same across the state. Minimum wage increased to $12.00 per hour inside the Portland urban growth boundary, $10.50
Read MoreNovember 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in November 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in November included Hood River (3.4%), Washington (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.6%).
Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 3.9 percent and four were at or below the national
Read MoreEmployment in the Automotive Repair and Maintenance Industry Remains Lower than the Pre-Recession Peak
About 3.1 million Oregonians held a driver’s license in Oregon in 2018 and the state had more than 4.1 million registered vehicles. That doesn’t include vehicles registered elsewhere that travel into the state. That’s a lot of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and motor homes on the road with the potential to break down and need some kind of servicing or require regularly scheduled preventative
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