Add a little here, lose a little there

Although our weekly report on business happenings usually focuses on new openings or business closures, this week we heard about a lot of expansions and contractions. For instance, companies adding more positions included:

• The Weston Eye Center in Roseburg has expanded by 3,000 square feet and added an ophthalmologist. The News-Review, 11-8-09

• The Union County Sheriff's Office received a two-year, $309,000 grant from the federal government that will add two members to the area's Multi-Agency Enforcement Response Interdiction Team, which is the local drug task force. One will work in Union County and the other in Wallowa County. The Observer, 10-27-09

• Rockwell Collins, a communication and aviation electronics company, is closing its San Jose site and moving those jobs to its Wilsonville facility, where it employs approximately 300 people. The exact number of jobs that will relocate is not yet known, but will include about 120 engineering positions. Wilsonville Spokesman, 11-17-09


And the companies who announced downsizing were:

• Georgia-Pacific laid off 15 workers at its Wauna paper mill near Astoria. Daily Astorian, 11-16-09

• Timber Product Company will close its White City plant and move its Southern Oregon softwood plywood production to Grants Pass. Of its 44 employees, 28 will move to the Grants Pass plant or the company's Spectrum Division in White City, two will be reassigned elsewhere in the company, and 14 will be laid off. Medford Mail Tribune, 11-18-09

• Sykes Enterprises, Inc. will lay off 336 people from its Milton-Freewater call center in January. The Oregonian, 11-13-09


Check out this week's full list.
Look up past issues.

Whose Recession is it Anyway?

The trend of men losing their jobs faster than women during this recession is occurring across the nation. News articles and commentaries about the topic began to appear with headlines like the one in Forbes that read "In This Recession, Men Drop Out." One headline in USA Today read "Women Gain As Men Lose Jobs." That article predicted that half the national workforce could be women by November.

There have also been some clever names created to describe this trend. "Mancession" is one of the more commonly used titles, although the term "The Great He-pression" may become more common if men's employment situation does not improve.

Under normal economic conditions, the unemployment rates for men and women tend to be similar. There are now almost four unemployed men for every three unemployed women, and men account for 56 percent of unemployed workers nationwide. The unemployment rate for men more than doubled through September 2009 to 11.0 percent, while the rate for women increased to 8.4 percent.

Monthly unemployment rates by sex are not available at the state level.

More Oregon Men Collecting Unemployment Insurance than Women
According to the Distribution of Characteristics of the Insured Unemployed report, there were about three men collecting unemployment insurance benefits in Oregon for every two women collecting benefits in September 2009. The ratio of men to women collecting benefits is typically about equal.

Women's share of the workforce has of course increased over time, but men still make up the majority of workers. Oregon's workforce gender split is about the same as it is nationwide.

The W Recession?
Some authors have also observed that women are taking on more hours or returning to the workforce when their spouse loses his job. This view is supported by BLS data that shows the number of women in the labor force nationwide has increased faster than men since the recession began.

Read the full article, written by Nick Beleiciks, for more information about how this recession is affecting men and women differently.

Oregon's unemployment rate unchanged in October

Oregon's unemployment was 11.3 percent in October, which is the same as the revised September rate. One year ago the unemployment rate was 7.2 percent. The highest rate over the last year was 12.2 percent, which the state hit in May.


Oregon's nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 1,900 in October after a loss of 6,000 jobs in September. The largest losses were in manufacturing, construction, and leisure and hospitality. Two of the other major industries posted employment gains: professional and business services and financial activities.


Get all the details, including more information on employment changes by industry, in the full press release.

Note: The employment and unemployment figures mentioned here are seasonally adjusted.

Who Opened, Who Closed?

Another week of change with lots of different business types, including motels, medical offices, manufacturing, and more.

There were a couple of positive announcements related to renewable energy:
• PV Powered, a solar products manufacturer in Bend, has added 30 employees since June. It expects to hire more due to demand for its 260-kilowatt inverter. Bend Bulletin, 11-6-09

• Marten Law PLLC, a Seattle-based environmental and energy law firm, opened an office in Portland. It will provide clients with regulatory and litigation services in energy, environmental, and climate change. The 12-attorney team will be the area’s largest environmental and energy legal team. Portland Business Journal, 11-9-09

Other interesting news included:
• Two farms near Princeton harvested Harney County’s first mint crop in September using fields that previously grew alfalfa. The distilled mint oil will be sold to Colgate to be used in various products. Burns Times-Herald, 10-28-09

• Samaritan Health Services opened Samaritan Rheumatology in Corvallis. It specializes in diagnosing and treating arthritis, auto-immune diseases, and inflammatory diseases in the joints, muscles, and soft tissues. Corvallis Gazette-Times, 11-9-09

Unfortunately, there were also some business closures, such as:
• Chuck and Connie’s Diner in Seaside, which opened in mid-September, closed after only a few weeks in business. Coast River Business Journal, 11-2-09

• My Barn, an antique and collectible shop in Grants Pass, is closing. The Daily Courier, 11-7-09

• Sun Microsystems Inc. will lay off 42 workers across three Hillsboro locations. Portland Business Journal, 11-5-09

Get all the details from this week,
or check out past issues.

National Unemployment Rate Increased

In October the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent, from 9.8 percent in September. October's rate was the highest since April of 1983.

About 190,000 jobs were lost in October. The hardest-hit sectors were construction, manufacturing, and retail trade.

More information is available in the full press release from the national Bureau of Labor Statistics.


Oregon's data for October will be released on Monday, November 16th. As always, we'll have an update on the blog. You can also check out the live video on http://www.qualityinfo.org/ at 11am to hear all the details!

Business news quite mixed this week

Want a hot tub? Need a haircut or some new clothes? How about a dance class, a quick meal, or something fixed on your car? Announcements around the state this week indicated new businesses for each of these things!

In addition, a couple of cities on the Oregon Coast boasted positive brewery news:
• The Fort George Brewery in Astoria is expanding into a larger facility and plans to nearly double their workforce and start distribution to other states. It has 23 employees. Daily Astorian, 10-16-09

• Superfly Distilling Co. opened in Brookings. It makes potato vodka that is distributed to 25 liquor stores in Oregon and is served in a number of Brookings-Harbor area restaurants. Curry Coastal Pilot, 10-21-09

Unfortunately there were also closure announcements, including four businesses in the Portland area. A couple of these were:
• Coldwell Banker Executive Realty in McMinnville closed. News-Register, 11-2-09
• Princeton Athletic Club in Vancouver closed. The Columbian, 11-3-09

But wait... there's more! Check out this week's ATS for all the details.
Older issues also available.

Retail Trade: A Staple of Oregon’s Economy

Whether it is food, apparel, cars, or music, Oregon's diverse retail trade industry plays a vital role in the state's economy. This industry includes businesses engaged in reselling merchandise or services in small quantities to the general public. Retail establishments can take the form of a physical store or a "nonstore" where business is conducted via the internet, broadcasting, door-to-door, or vending machines.

The retail industry employed 196,000 Oregonians in 2008, 13.6 percent of the state's private employment. Total payroll was almost $5 billion. Retail's average annual wage in 2008 was about $25,500, compared to the statewide average of nearly $40,000 across all private industries.

Areas with larger populations tend to make up a greater share of the state's retail employment. This is not surprising; the more people living in an area, the greater the demand for consumer goods such as food, clothes, gasoline, and furniture.

There are roughly an even number of men and women employed in Oregon's retail industry. Overall, women comprise nearly 51 percent of workers and men 49 percent. Recent average monthly earnings for men in this industry in Oregon were $2,828.

The full article, which contains a more in-depth analysis of Oregon's retail trade industry, as well as the current outlook for retailers across the state, was written by Workforce Analyst Jill Cuyler.

Health Care Industry is Growing in Klamath County

Recently, Klamath County employers have been actively recruiting health care professionals, while health care related educational offerings have expanded at postsecondary institutions. According to data for the first quarter of 2009, the hard work seems to have paid off. During the first three months of 2009, the industry with the most private-sector jobs in the county was health care and social assistance. The industry has added jobs steadily since the beginning of the decade, and in 2008 salaries in the industry were about the highest in the county.

In 2002, jobs in health care and social assistance exceeded the number of jobs in manufacturing for the first time in the county's history. Wages at that time in health care and social assistance were still, on average, lower than in those paid in manufacturing. Historically in Klamath County, jobs in manufacturing were among the best paid. It took another six years, but in 2008, the average pay in health care and social assistance exceeded the average pay in manufacturing. If the trends continue, it appears that in Klamath County, health care and social assistance may be the post-manufacturing era industry.

This article was written by Central Oregon Regional Economist Carolyn Eagan. Check out more information about economic events in Central Oregon and Southern Oregon.

Nursing School Applications in Oregon

A report from the Portland-based Oregon Center for Nursing indicates that Oregon's nursing schools had about two qualified applicants per available enrollment position in 2008. The report also provides demographic information about the applicants, as well as acceptance and enrollment rates.

Previous reports have indicated about five or six qualified applicants per opening at Oregon's nursing schools. There are several possible reasons for the difference between the 2008 numbers and previous reports, including changes in the number of applicants or enrollment capacity at schools. Indeed, since 2002, nursing schools have doubled their enrollment capacity in response to projections that there will be a shortage in the number of qualified nurses as health care demand continues to grow.

The full report ("Who Gets In? Pilot Year Data from the Nursing Students Admission Database") is by the Oregon Center for Nursing. It is part of their Nursing Student Admissions Database Pilot Project. The Employment Department does not necessarily support or oppose the viewpoints of this organization.

Oregon's Population Grows More Diverse

When Oregon became a state in 1859, there were around 52,500 residents, and more than 99 percent of the population was white. Since then, Oregon’s population has changed significantly in terms of racial and ethnic diversity. Most of this change has occurred in recent years.

In 1990, white people made up 95 percent of the population. The number of white people in the population has risen since 1990, but so has the number of people of other races.

By 2008, the portion of white people was 90 percent. Black people accounted for 2 percent of the state’s population in 2008, and other races made up the remaining 8 percent.

Oregon’s population has also grown more ethnically diverse, as seen in the growth of the Hispanic population over the last two decades. In 1990, Hispanic people – who can be of any race – made up 4 percent of the state’s population. By 2000 this figure had grown to 8 percent, and in 2008 it was 11 percent.

Racial and ethnic diversity varied by county in 2008. For instance, of the 1,750 residents of Gilliam County, about 1,700 (97.5%) were white, making Gilliam the least racially diverse county in Oregon. Jefferson County, on the other hand, was the most racially diverse county; only 79 percent of its 20,500 residents in 2008 were white.

Today's post was wrtitten by one of your very own blog authors.
Read the full article and find out more!