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Oregon Workforce and Economic Information
Oregon’s Wood Product Manufacturing Industry Is Still Important, Especially in Rural Areas
Once Oregon’s largest manufacturing industry, employment in the wood product manufacturing industry has gone through large, well-publicized losses since the early 1990s, with its employment dropping below computer and electronic manufacturing and food manufacturing. Despite the losses, wood product manufacturing is still a large industry in Oregon and is especially important to rural areas of the
Read MoreJuly 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties
Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.1 percent in July 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in June included Washington (3.3%), Hood River (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.5%). Seven counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Eight of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of
Read MoreOccupations Affected by Autonomous Vehicle Adoption in Oregon
In 2018, HB 4063 established the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) as the lead agency for automated vehicle (AV) policy in the state. HB 4063 also requires ODOT to convene and facilitate a Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles. For one part of the Task Force’s work, we provided a labor market information summary related to occupations most likely to see workforce reductions associated with
Read MoreOregon’s Unemployment Rate Matches Record Low of 4.0 Percent in July
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in July, the same as the revised June rate of 4.0 percent. This was Oregon’s lowest unemployment rate in the current series dating back to 1976. It tied the 4.0 percent unemployment rate reached in the state in May, June, and July 2018. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in both June and July 2019.
In July, Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll
Read MoreOregon Employment Forecast: Growth Ongoing, But Slowing
The U.S. economic expansion turned 10 years old this summer, making it the longest expansion in recorded history. Oregon’s expansion also continues, although our job growth is no longer handily outpacing the nation as had been the case for most of the past six years. Not to worry, as growth remains strong enough to keep up with population gains and hold the unemployment rate down at record
Read MoreOccupations with the Largest Share of Older Workers
According to the 2013-2017 five-year estimates (the most current available), about 22 percent of all employed workers in Oregon’s labor force were at least 55 years old. These workers may have an eye on retirement in the near future.
Lawyers, managers, and doctors may be among the occupations where workers have a greater likelihood of nearing retirement. They fall in the top three broad
Read MoreCompany Headquarters Provide Nearly 50,000 Jobs in Oregon
Oregon is home to just two Fortune 500 firms, but that doesn’t mean headquarters aren’t an important part of our economy. This sector, called ‘management of companies’, provides nearly 50,000 jobs that pay a whopping average wage of $119,200; more than twice the average across all industries. While it makes up just 3 percent of Oregon’s total private-sector employment, it generates 7 percent of
Read MoreMore Than 40 Percent of Jobs Paid at Least $20.00 Per Hour in 2018
In 2018, the largest number of jobs was held by professional and business services (449,745 or 14.3% of the total jobs in Oregon). The leisure and hospitality industry ran not far behind, capturing 431,829 (13.8% of all) jobs that year. In terms of percent increase, that industry has rebounded more than any other (up 21.4%) since the recession a decade ago. Despite over-the-year gains, three
Read MoreOregon’s Unemployment Rate 4.1 Percent in June
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in June, essentially unchanged from 4.2 percent in May. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been between 4.0 percent and 4.4 percent for 32 months, dating back to November 2016. The U.S. unemployment rate was little changed at 3.7 percent in June.
Oregon’s unemployment rate has been at or near record low levels for nearly three years. Of those unemployed in
Read MoreLong-Term Job Openings Fueled by Replacements
Continued job growth and record low unemployment are making it difficult for Oregon businesses to fill current vacancies, and Oregon’s economy is expected to create 263,000 job openings each year through 2027.At 12 percent, expected employment growth in Oregon from 2017 to 2027 is more than one and a half times the projected national growth rate of 7.4 percent. In some industries, the state is
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