Oregon Employment Statistics Potluck!

The last two weeks have been filled with projects that require the use of different employment-related data sets. So, in the Thanksgiving spirit, we're bringing you a potluck of interesting food for thought about employment across Oregon.

Each month, Brooke and I put together a single-page Fast Facts publication with employment data and unemployment rates in Oregon, complete with national rankings.

Here are a few of our latest fast facts for you:

• In October, Oregon saw positive employment growth over the previous year for the first time since April 2008.

• At 10.5 percent, our statewide unemployment rate ranks 7th highest in the nation.

• The information industry in Oregon gained 2,900 jobs between October 2009 and October 2010, for a growth rate of 8.9 percent, the fastest growth of any state!

We regularly update the most popular articles on our website with new numbers to keep the content relevant for our readers. We just finished such an update with an article on Oregon's small businesses.

Did you know...

• Over three-quarters of Oregon's firms employ between one and nine people, but firms that employ 100 people or more account for nearly half of all private employment.

• Smaller firms play a crucial role in rural counties throughout the state. In Oregon's non-metro areas, the smallest firms (1-9 employees) accounted for 24 percent of payroll employment during the first quarter of 2010, compared to 15 percent in metro areas.

As some members of our staff prepare annual reports, we look back on employment by industry, occupation, and so on. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages conducted by the Oregon Employment Department gives us a count of workers in the state who are covered by unemployment insurance.

Here's a graph of Oregon employment by industry for 2009:
(the most current full year of data available)


If you'd like to receive Fast Facts or other OED publications, you can subscribe to mailing lists and place orders on our main website!