By J.L. Wilson – 6/26/09 Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business lobby The legislature earlier this week abandoned Governor Ted Kulongoski’s proposal to siphon $50 million from the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund to fund a temporary summer jobs program. As late as last week, it appeared that AOI was facing […]

Timothy Duy Director, Oregon Economic Forum The UO Index fell slightly in May, down 0.1 percentage points.  The relative stability over the past three months, however, is a welcome relief after many months of steady decline and is consistent with a recent pattern of economic stabilization, both state and nationwide.  […]

By Bill Conerly, Conerly Consulting LLC, Businomics Some friends have been debating the role of housing prices in consumer spending, stimulated by two recent articles in the Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics blog.  First, Charles Calomiris, Stanley Longhofer and William Miles wrote that effect of housing wealth on consumption […]

by Brooke Jackson-Winegardner Oregon Employment Department Teens looking for work face tough prospects during this summer’s hiring season. Not only are there fewer jobs available because of the current recession, but there is also a host of skilled, experienced older workers flocking to fill any job opening that comes up, […]

Chambers to Help Oregon Rx Card Provide Prescription Assistance to All Residents By Oregon State Chamber of Commerce The Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC) announced a new partnership with the Oregon Rx Card today. The goal of the joint venture is to provide all Oregon residents with prescription assistance. […]

Oregon voters, like legislators, should have the right to simply vote “yes” or “no” By Alliance of Oregon’s Business Associations, Each member of the Alliance supports Oregon’s Initiative and Referendum Process. While each of our organizations has won and lost our fair share of elections, we are steadfast in our […]

Wall Street Journal reported today, “The income of Americans soared in May because of the government’s economic stimulus, leading them to increase spending modestly and boost the saving rate to the highest in 15 years. Personal income rose at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.4% compared to the month before, […]

PC sales growth down, laptops rise By Oregon Small Business Association, PC sales growth in the U.S. continues to take a beating at the hands of the economic recession.  Yet, one glimmer of hope remains:  laptop computers.  Dell Computer recently announced declining quarterly profit and revenue results.  Hewlett-Packard also announced […]

By Mimi Henninger, SPHR, Senior Human Resources Consultant AmeriBen/IEC Group Exlporer, According to recent statistics released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), overall discrimination claims rose 15% in 2008 from 2007. One reason for an increase in discrimination claims is that more people are being laid off from their […]