Archives

February 14, 2010 - New Jobless Claims on the Rise, State Revenues Drop Again

By Associated Oregon Industries, In testimony Monday morning before a joint session of the House and Senate Revenue Committees, state economist Tom Potiowsky proclaimed that the state’s recession was over, but predicted a jobless recovery through 2010.  Potiowsky even warned of the prospects of a “double dip” recession if the […]


February 13, 2010 - 40% of workers have dated a co-worker

Nearly Forty Percent of Workers Have Dated a Co-Worker, Finds Annual CareerBuilder Valentine’s Day Survey. Nearly One-Third End Up Marrying Co-Workers They Dated Career Builders Survey — Economy up, economy down, one thing remains the same: love is in the air at the office. Nearly four-in-ten (37 percent) workers said […]


February 12, 2010 - How price psychology makes customers pay more

BY Oregon Small Business Association, William Poundstone’s bottom line: consumers don’t really know what anything should cost. In his book “Priceless,” Poundstone zestfully and entertainingly explains the economics, psychology, and intellectual reasoning surrounding the ways in which producers and sellers take advantage of buyers’ lack of knowledge. Cost and price […]


February 11, 2010 - Oregon Economist: Taxes and the Rainy-Day Fund

By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog A rather depressing sense of self-satisfaction seems to have consumed the state democrats after the passage of Measures 66 & 67. But celebrating their passage as a major political victory, and allowing their passage to become an excuse not to immediately address the revenue […]


February 10, 2010 - Poll: Oregonians approve annual sessions

By Moore Information Polling Annual Sessions for Oregon Legislature “Would you vote yes to approve or no to oppose annual sessions for the state legislature?” Our recent poll shows Oregon voters support annual sessions for the state legislature by more than a two-to-one margin. Today, 52% of voters statewide tell […]


February 9, 2010 - When Is It Legal to Cuss Out Your Boss?

by Dennis Westlind Stoel Rives LLP, Attorneys at Law Most of us assume that if an employee swears at a manager or, he or she can be disciplined or even fired. That assumption may be wrong, depending on the context in which the swearing occurs. A federal judge recently held […]


February 8, 2010 - Economic Forecast Looking Better

I just updated my economic forecast, taking into account the new GDP data released by the government last week.  Fourth quarter growth came in stronger than I had expected–and everyone has been telling me I’m an optimist! Here’s how the new forecast looks:



February 6, 2010 - Survey: How businesses keep top talent from leaving

Employers Share Top Staffing Challenges Offering more flexible work arrangements – 28% Investing more in training – 21% Promising future benefits (raises  when the economy picks up) – 18% Offering more performance-based incentives (trips, bonuses) – 16% Providing higher salary without the title – 11% Providing both higher title and […]


February 5, 2010 - Multiple signs of Oregon’s recovery

By Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators. sponsor, KeyBank. The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators™ rose 1.2 percent in December to 86.8 (1997=100) from a revised November figure of 85.8.  Since reaching a low in July 2009, the UO Index has risen […]