February 2022 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties BY Oregon Employment Department, Press release In February 2022, 35 of Oregon’s 36 counties experienced over-the-month decreases in their unemployment rates. Wheeler County experienced no over-the-month change in its unemployment rate. Five counties experienced a 0.3 percentage point decrease or more over […]

Supply Chain, Rising Raw Material Costs and Workforce Shortages Top Concerns for Manufacturers By National Association of Manufacturers, Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers released its Q1 2022 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, which shows manufacturers’ significant concerns around inflation, hiring and potential tax increases. The NAM conducted the survey […]

By Missy Oakley Barran Liebman NW Law firm, The U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) scored a major victory when it settled its lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for $24 million. The lawsuit, which drew national attention, alleged in part that the players on the Women’s National Team were paid […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Sixty Oregonians died while on the job in 2020, most of those men, many of whom worked in the warehousing and transportation industries. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show that workplace deaths in Oregon have increased by 36 percent since 2015, when 44 people […]

By US Attorney, Oregon District Press Release, Operator of Portland Animal Rescue Business Charged for Role in Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Illegally Dispensing Animal Drugs PORTLAND, Ore.—The operator of a Portland area animal rescue, rehabilitation, boarding, and adoption company is facing federal charges for her role in a conspiracy to defraud […]

By Oregon Tax News, It’s more expensive than ever to live in Portland, the cost to buy a house rose 20 percent last year, nearly triple the inflation rate of 7.5 percent, according to Anytime Estimate. That places Portland 11th among metro areas in regards to rising home prices with […]

By NFIB, The labor shortage continues to be a major challenge for small businesses as owners compete for workers, according to NFIB’s monthly jobs report. Twenty-two percent of owners reported that labor quality was their top business problem, in second place behind inflation. Eight percent of owners cited labor costs […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office economic Analysis, Oregon’s economy mirrors the nation during the pandemic. Our employment trends, unemployment rate, income growth and the like are right there with the national averages. This is unusual in the sense that Oregon is typically much more volatile than the U.S. We fall […]

By Congressman Peter DeFazio Press Release, Legislation comes following report from anti-corruption watchdog group that shows largest oil and gas companies made an eye-popping $205 billion in 2021 Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR-04) introduced the Stop Gas Price Gouging Tax and Rebate Act. This legislation would create a windfall profit tax […]

By Oregon Business and Industry, Over the past two years, Oregonians grew weary of well-intended but often damaging executive orders that closed places of employment, deprived people of work and compelled businesses to enforce masking rules in the face of resistance by customers and employees. Unfortunately, Oregon OSHA is once […]