Retail Sales Rebound In July, Up 3.5 Percent Over 2016 By Robin Roberts National Retail Federation Spending Growth in Online and Building Materials Lead Pack Retail sales in July increased by 0.6 percent over June on a seasonally adjusted basis, triple the revised 0.2 percent growth seen in June, according […]

July’s Strong Job Growth in Oregon Eclipses the Unemployment Rate Via Oregon Workforce and Economic Information In July, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 5,900 jobs, following a gain of 8,700 in June. Four of the major industries added more than 1,000 jobs. Leisure and hospitality added the most, increasing by […]

Employers and the Eclipse: Are You Prepared for the Path of Totality? By Sean Ray and Nicole Elgin Barran Liebman Attorneys On Monday, August 21, 2017, anyone within the path of totality should be able to see a total solar eclipse. It is the first total solar eclipse to cross from […]

Oregon Guard and solar panels: it’s electrifying! Via DVIDS Defense Video Imagery Distribution System As part of the Oregon Army National Guard’s (ORARNG) ongoing facility replacements and renovations, the Oregon Military Department (OMD) is adding photovoltaic (PV), or solar, systems to its installations.

Portland’s latest attempt to centrally plan transportation patterns is backfiring Cascade Policy Institute  By Jessica Miller Portland has a longstanding history of attempting to socially engineer people’s transportation patterns, and the “Better Naito” project is no different.

Imports Set To Hit New Monthly And Annual Records As Retail Sales Continue To Increase By J. Craig Shearman Via National Retail Federation “Retailers are selling more and that means they need to import more.” NRF VP Jonathan Gold Boosted by continuing sales growth, August is expected to be the busiest […]

Labor Supply, How Much More? By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Right now we know the labor market is tight. Help Wanted signs and media reports of businesses saying they can’t find enough workers are a daily occurrence. Standard economic measures like the unemployment rate agree. If Oregon […]

Governor Brown Announces Suite of Business Development Investments Across Oregon $4.81 million in funding expected to create or retain 1,778 jobs Via Office of Oregon Govenor Kate Brown Governor Kate Brown today announced a package of business development investments from Business Oregon’s Strategic Reserve Fund. The diverse projects include investments in […]

Don’t Sell Yourself Short, or the Value of a Bachelor’s Degree By Felicia Bechtoldt Via Oregon Workforce and Economic Information   According to data from the Pew Research Center, nearly every American feels that college is very important. Almost all parents (94%) expect their children to attend college, roughly three […]

Poverty and Progress, SNAP Edition By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis As our office has been highlighting in recent years, Oregon’s economy is now at the point where we are seeing progress made in some of our deeper measures of economic well-being. Nearly all of Oregon’s economic metrics […]