Business News Around the State

This week's Around the State business news includes a variety of establishments, including restaurants, taphouses, retailers, and even a biomechanics lab.

• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar will open in Medford later this year. Mail Tribune, 5/22/2013
• Naked Winery will open a tasting room in Bend. Cascade Business News, 5/16/2013
• FORCE Laboratory, a biomechanics lab, will open in Bend. It will provide orthopedic research into sports injuries. Cascade Business News, 5/9/2013
• Cellular Connection, the largest Verizon premium wireless retailer in the U.S., opened a store in The Dalles. The Dalles Chronicle, 5/15/2013
• B2 Taphouse will open in south Salem. It will offer 30 craft beer and cider selections. Statesman Journal, 5/15/2013

A few announcements include closures or layoffs:

• Regence BlueCross BlueShield will lay off 56 employees across four states, including 14 in Medford. Another 30 employees will see their jobs eliminated in coming months. Mail Tribune, 5/16/2013
• Moonstruck Chocolate Co. will close its Lake Oswego cafe. Portland Business Journal, 5/8/2013
• Bob Stone Freeway Autocenter in Hood River will close. Hood River News, 5/14/2013

For more information about the latest business activity, visit the Around the State page on QualityInfo.org.

Net Migration Tends to Drive Oregon's Population

Based on estimates from the Population Research Center at Portland State University, net migration fueled Oregon's population growth in 2012. Between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012 Oregon's population added 26,110, of which net migration accounted for 14,548.

Net migration typically leads Oregon's annual population change, while the natural increase -- the net result of births and deaths -- is a relatively smaller and more stable component of population change.  However, beginning in 2009, natural increases took the lead by becoming a larger share of Oregon's population change, as net in-migration dropped. Annual net in-migration tapered off through the Great Recession and sluggish recovery. It slid from 36,100 additional residents in 2007 to just 7,000 in 2010, the lowest level since 1987.

For more information about Oregon's population change, including population information on Oregon's counties, check out the full article written by State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks.

University of Oregon Indexes Show Regional Differences

The University of Oregon (UO) released its regional economic indexes for March. Index creator and news release author Tim Duy noted that economic fortunes continued to differ across Oregon, but that all regions showed improvement from the prior year.

For the UO regional indexes, a "zero" reading represents average growth; a positive reading means above-average regional growth, and negative readings indicate below-average growth. In March, regional economic measures ranged from 0.73 in Portland to -0.77 in the Rogue Valley. Duy also noted that the Rogue Valley and Salem measures were negatively impacted by labor force declines in March; this trend has been evident recently across Oregon and may suggest lower longer-term growth if not reversed.

More information on the regional indexes is available in the full release.

Unemployment Rates in Oregon's Counties

Benton County continued to have Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (5.8%) in April. Crook County (12.8%) registered the highest rate for the month. Fifteen of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 8.0 percent. Lake County saw the largest improvement in its unemployment rate over the year, with a drop of 2.1 percentage points to 11.3 percent in April. In fact, unemployment rates declined over the year in all of Oregon's counties, except Morrow County, where the rate was the same in April 2013 as in April 2012.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in five of Oregon’s six broad regions between April 2012 and April 2013. The largest job gains were reported in Central Oregon (+2.8%). Smaller employment gains occurred over the year in Portland (+1.3%), the Willamette Valley (+0.9%), along the Oregon Coast (+0.5%), and in Southern Oregon (+0.3%). 

For more information on your local area, visit QualityInfo.org and select an area on the Regional Information map.

Business Openings Around the State

This week's Around the State business announcements includes several business openings. Many of these openings are places to grab a bite to eat:

• The Crabby Oyster restaurant will open in Seaside. The Daily Astorian, 5/9/2013
• Good Seed Bagel opened in Baker City. In addition to bagels, it offers breakfast and lunch items and other baked goods. It employs four people. Baker City Herald, 5/1/2013
• La Cabana restaurant opened in The Dalles. Columbia River Gorge Business Review, 5/4/2013
• Dalia on Broadway, a restaurant offering Middle Eastern food, opened in Eugene. The Register-Guard, 5/8/2013

Other openings include clothing stores:

• Closet Catalyst opened in Grants Pass. It buys and sells new and used clothing, including vintage, name brand, and one-of-a-kind items. Grants Pass Daily Courier, 5/12/2013
• Vintalier, a vintage clothing store, opened in Portland's Pearl District. Neighborhood Notes, 5/7/2013

You can find more of the latest business news in the full edition, or by using our customized online search tool.

Housing Costs in Oregon and Home Sales in Portland

A report recently released from the Center for Housing Policy noted that of the 573,514 working households in Oregon in 2011, approximately 26 percent, or slightly more than 151,000, faced a severe housing cost burden. This percentage is up from 2008 when about 23 percent of working households had a severe housing burden. 

You might be asking yourself, "what is a severe housing burden?" The report classifies a household as facing a burden if they spend more than one-half of their income on housing costs. In the Portland metro area, an estimated 24 percent of the 360,249 working households met this criterion.

Keeping with the housing-related news, an article from The Oregonian yesterday reports an improvement in home sales and prices in the Portland area. Based on information for the Regional Multiple Listing Service, the article notes that there were 2,100 homes sold in April, which was a 16.6 increase from the same month a year ago. The median sale price increased by 14.2 percent from a year ago to $257,000.

Oregon Payrolls Added Jobs for Seventh Consecutive Month

This morning, the Employment Department released preliminary employment estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Oregon in April. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Oregon added 3,700 jobs over the month. Large gains occurred in leisure and hospitality (+2,600 jobs), manufacturing (+1,200), and other services (+1,100), while construction dropped 1,200 jobs.

Effective today, this monthly employment series was revised by the Oregon Employment Department for all months from October 2012 through March 2013. The numbers now incorporate a near-universe count of employment covered by the Unemployment Insurance program for October through December. The employment estimates for January 2013 through March 2013 were then adjusted to reflect the newly revised December figures.

These improvements to Oregon's employment data resulted in an upward revision of 3,100 jobs to December's nonfarm payroll employment. Private-sector employment rose by 6,500 jobs from the preliminary estimates, while government employment was revised downward by 3,400 jobs.

Oregon's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in April, down from 8.2 percent in March. Roughly 150,600 Oregonians were unemployed in April.

More information can be found in the Employment Department's full employment situation news release.

Clean Jobs and Cycling

A story from Sustainable Business Oregon reports that Oregon continues to outpace all other states in terms of "clean" jobs. The Denver-based Ecotech Institute gave Oregon the top ranking in its Clean Jobs Index. The index considers renewable energy consumption, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects, and alternative fueling stations, among other factors in rating each state. With an index score of 2.84, Oregon edged out Washington (2.62) for the top "clean jobs" spot nationwide.

Keeping with the green theme, an article in The Oregonian shares findings from the Oregon Bicycle Travel Survey conducted by Dean Runyon Associates. This survey marks the first time the state has put numbers to spending on organized cycling events, races, and other non-commuting cycling trips. According to the survey, recreational bicycle travel accounts for $400 million of Oregon's $9 billion tourism industry.

Recreational cyclists are mostly from Oregon (67%), Washington (10%), and California (8%). They spend an average of $94 per day at restaurants and bars, and $81 per day on accommodations. The Oregonian notes that the impact is particularly large in the Columbia Gorge and Hood River area, where cycling accounts for 15 percent of all recreational travel.

New Businesses Opening Around the State

This week our collection of business news announcements includes a variety of new establishments opening across Oregon:  

• My Concierge, A Family Affair opened in Newport. The three-person firm provides personal and business assistance to clients. News-Times, 5/1/2013 
• Camp 1805, a distillery, is under construction at the Port of Hood River's Waterfront Business Park. Hood River News, 5/4/2013 
• Volcano Veggies, a grower of organic produce and fish, will open a production facility in Bend. The Bulletin, 4/23/2013 
• Walmart will open a 150,000-square-foot store in Sherwood in July 2014. It will employ about 250 people. The Oregonian, 5/7/2013

Many involve health care or health services:

• Silverton Health will open a clinic in Keizer by January. Statesman Journal, 5/3/2013 
• Quail Park Memory Care Residences in Klamath Falls, a facility for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, will begin construction in July on a new building that will have 28 assisted living units. Herald and News, 4/14/2013 
• Legacy Medical Group - Cornell opened a clinic complex in Beaverton. It employs 29 people. Beaverton Valley Times, 5/2/2013 
• Affordable Dentures opened in Springfield. The Register-Guard, 4/21/2013

You can find all the latest news on business openings, expansions, and closings in the full edition of Around the State, or by using our online AtS search tool! 

A Closer Look at Unemployment in Oregon

The number of unemployed Oregonians increased from about 102,000 near the end of 2007 to a peak of nearly 230,000 in May and June 2009. However, the recession's impact was not equal across industries and demographic groups.

During the recession, Unemployment Insurance claims increased rapidly for the construction, manufacturing, and trade industries. In 2009, these industries, along with administrative and waste services, accounted for 59.9 percent of all continued claims, with manufacturing at 19.3 percent, construction at 16.5 percent, trade at 15.1 percent, and administrative and waste services at 9.0 percent.

For more information about unemployment data trends from 2007 to 2012, including information on unemployment by educational attainment, check out the full article by Tracy Morrissette.

Help Wanted Online Ads Show Increased Labor Demand in Oregon

The Conference Board's Help Wanted Online (HWOL) data series shows increased hiring demand for Oregon and the U.S. in April. Oregon saw an increase of 3,400 online job ads from the previous month, while ads rose by 204,300 nationally. Oregon's online ad growth recently surpassed the U.S.; the state's growth in ad volume lagged behind the nation's from mid-2008 until early 2013.

The rest of the Pacific region also saw HWOL gains in April. California's ad volume rose by 32,200, while Washington's increased by 8,800. Nevada and Idaho experienced smaller gains, 1,700 and 1,400, respectively.

You can find more information on the Help Wanted Online Index page at QualityInfo.org, or by contacting State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks.

STEM Employment in Portland and Qualified Workers

STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics -- occupations have frequently been a topic of discussion these days among policy makers, businesses, educators, and others. As noted in a article recently published by Amy Vander Vliet, the regional economist for the Portland metro area, STEM occupations "play a vital role in scientific and technological innovation, and are viewed as a cornerstone for economic success as we shift towards a more knowledge-based and globally-competitive economy."
 
In the Portland metro area there are about 72,000 STEM jobs, representing 7.2 percent of total employment. Computer-related jobs account for seven of the 10 largest occupations due to the high concentration of employment in semiconductor manufacturing and software companies in the Portland area. STEM occupations are relatively high paying with most STEM workers earning between $20 and $50 an hour. Thus these jobs also require high levels of education and training with more than a majority of STEM jobs in Portland  requiring a bachelor's degree or higher.

Oregon Business also recently published an article on STEM occupations that reports on the demand for STEM occupations in Oregon and the concern over finding qualified workers for these occupations. The article notes the demand for workers with STEM backgrounds in high-tech companies, but also states that "STEM workers are also vital to many manufacturers, whose automated, computerized and robotic systems require much more technical savvy than before."

For more information about STEM occupations in the Portland metro area, you can find the full article written by regional economist Amy Vander Vliet on QualityInfo.org. For more information about the concern over finding qualified workers with STEM backgrounds, check out the full article from Oregon Business.