No Change for Hiring in Oregon

Some of the private-sector employers in the Oregon area have made claims that they do plan to hire before the month of May. This information was released by the Employment Department for the state of Oregon.

However, while some private-sector employers plan to hire, about 64 percent of employers, the vast majority, have said they expect to see no changes in the number of employees and workers hired within the next six months. Only about 11 percent of the employers claimed to be increasing their workforce and adding on new employers.

The department’s Senior Economic Analyst, Charlie Johnson, has said, “Net employment change is really business expansion or business growth, and we saw much less of that in the survey response.”

A survey that took place in 2010 has shown that only about 12 percent of the employers expected to increase the number of workers. While there is not much expectation on the growth of employees that will be hired within the next few months, the unemployment rate in Oregon has definitely improved within the past year. In fact, the unemployment rate was at a low of about 9.1 percent in November of 2011. The unemployment rate during the same month in 2010 was at 10.6 percent. This definitely shows signs of progress.

The survey that took place shows that certain employers, specifically manufacturing, warehouse, transportation, and utilities have planned to add on to the number of workers within these jobs which can help to lower the unemployment rate even more. 18 percent of the manufacturing respondents have said they are expecting to add employers and increase their work force.

Norm Eder, the executive director of the Manufacturing 21 Coalition, located in Portland, has said, “The companies that have survived (the recession) are strong global competitors, and they are providing technology-rich products that are much in demand in the world.”

Certain industries are, unfortunately, planning to expect decreases in the number of employees and employment available, especially since the typical boom season is around the summer months. Such industries include construction and mining. There are some employers who are planning to hire employees for seasonal work.

Employers still have their own worries about the economy, which is finally starting to get better after such a crippling recession that seemed to last for quite a few years. Many of the employers, almost half of them, have cited that one of the reasons they are not planning to hire new workers within the next six months is partly due to the condition of the current economy.

Johnson says, “The employer’s expectations and outlook haven’t really improved over that one-year period.” Of course, it will take time and progress of the economy for their outlook and expectations to improve.