By Oregon Employment Department, Employers reported 44,400 job openings at any given time in 2020. This is a decrease of 22% from the 2019 level of vacancies. 2020 was not a typical year for Oregon businesses, yet many of the characteristics Oregon employers were looking for didn’t change much during […]

By Josh Lehner, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Our office remains very concerned about business closures and permanent layoffs. The more of this economic scarring that accumulates before the recovery can truly get underway will weigh on the strength of that recovery. The pandemic has impacted all aspects of the […]

By Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio, IRS Enhancement and Tax Gap Reduction Act Would Help IRS Collect Underpaid Taxes from Wealthiest Earners and Corporations, Shrink “Tax Gap” In the face of an economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) will reintroduce legislation that will help the […]

By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Oregon counties are on the move again with an announcement today by Governor Brown’s office lowering extreme risk levels for 10 counties which allows restaurants in those regions to open for indoor dining on Friday, February 26. “Oregon’s remaining metro areas surrounding the Salem […]

By NFIB, NFIB filed a brief defending the Department of Labor’s final rule from January on joint-employer standards under the Fair Labor Standards Act. NFIB argues that the Department’s rulemaking process was neither arbitrary nor capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), noting the Department’s consideration of submitted comments and […]

By Dr. Eric Fruits Cascade Policy Institute Oregonians blame Californians for many of our state’s woes. They drive up our housing prices, crowd our roads, and import nanny-state policies like banning plastic bags, plastic straws, and styrofoam cups. Many Oregonians wish they’d just go back home. But what if the […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office Economic Analysis, Almost the entire country is going through some form of a cold snap and disruption to the local economy and our personal lives. However in Oregon, hundreds of thousands of our family, friends, and neighbors have been without power for multiple days. Most […]

By Jessica D. Osborne & Liani J. Reeves Bullard Law, NW law firm As we reach the end of Week 2 of the new administration, it is already apparent that there will be significant impacts in the area of employment law. Here is a summary of some of the key […]

By Oregon Restaurant Association, ​Warning Week Risk Levels – The latest County Risk Level chart from the Governor’s Office and Oregon Health Authority was released in preparation for next week’s “Movement Week,” whereby additional counties are expected to move into High Risk and lower risk levels to either gain indoor […]

By National Restaurant Association, January’s gain was a step in the right direction, but monthly sales remain nearly $11 billion below their pre-coronavirus levels. After trending sharply lower at the end of 2020, restaurant sales bounced back with a healthy gain in January. Eating and drinking places* registered sales of […]