Airbnb in Portland, and Salem Turns the Corner

Both Portland and Salem made news this week. The Oregonian reports that Airbnb, the San Francisco startup for turning that extra bedroom or vacant apartment into a vacation rental, plans to open its operational headquarters for North America in Portland. The company plans to hire 160 employees for a variety of customer service and support positions.

Tim Duy, director of the Oregon Economic Forum, spoke at an economic forum in Salem this week, where he described Oregon's economic outlook as "partly sunny." The Statesman Journal reported some highlights from his speech:

• The capital city started to see a comeback toward the end of 2012 and into 2013. 
• Salem's economy has turned the corner, and is coming back near average growth.
• Portland has regained all of the jobs lost during the Great Recession.
• A demographic shift in the labor force indicates that older worker are staying on the job longer and holding off on retirement.

You can find more details in the full article from the Statesman Journal.