The Latest and Greatest!

Hello and Happy Holidays! In keeping with the festive spirit of the season, we've added a cornucopia of new articles to our main website (QualityInfo.org).

It seems only fitting, given all the food consumed between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, that we start with Oregon’s Food Manufacturing Sector: A Staple of Oregon’s Economy, by Pat O’Connor. This industry actually gained employment while the economy as a whole shed jobs during the Great Recession.

Oregon’s Unemployment Rate Falls to Five-Year Low is good news. David Cooke gives us the rest of the ups and downs in Oregon’s employment numbers in his article.

They are everywhere: Coffee places that is. Nearly two-thirds of us drink some version of coffee every day and we wish we had bought stock and coffee futures. Martin Kraal has brewed an interesting article about our favorite establishments in Oregon’s Coffee Shops Continue to Perk Up.

You have your favorite coffee shop. Admit it, you have your favorite barista too. He or she knows your order by heart and adds just the right amount of milk or caramel to your macchiato. No one else understands your coffee needs as well. Brooke Jackson spills the beans on this occupation in her article, Baristas: Tending a Counter Near You.

Need a prescription allergy drug? How about an antibiotic? Pain relief from surgery? Or do you just need some advice on what to use for a bee sting? Your local pharmacist will assist you. Melissa Greenaway informs us about this interesting occupation in her article, Pills, Pills, Pills: Job Openings for Pharmacists Steadily Increase.

Construction was hit particularly hard during the Great Recession. In his article, Construction is Picking Up, David Cooke explains why this industry may finally be rebounding.

So where do Oregon’s metropolitan areas rank when comparing unemployment rates? How does Corvallis compare with Medford or Sioux Falls? Unemployment Rate Rankings in Metropolitan Areas by Martin Krall provides the answers.

Along with information and articles of a statewide nature, we also provide you information of a more local or regional nature. Jackson County Leisure and Hospitality Recovers from Recession, by Guy Tauer is one such article. For more regional information, simply click on the map on the www.QualityInfo.org home page.

Are your wages keeping up with the Jones’? Are your wages in “real dollars” higher than they were 10 years ago? The answer may depend on what wage quintile you are in. Barbara Peniston explains the trends in her article, First Quarter 2013: Higher Wage Workers Saw Faster Wage Growth Over Past Decade.

As always, we hope you find the information in these articles and throughout www.QualityInfo.org useful in your work and business life.