Oregon
Oregon’s got jobs, but could use workers to fill critical positions, according to new report
Oregon’s labor shortage is reflected at Gramma’s Corner Kitchen in Milwaukie, Ore., on May 9, 2021. The 2024 Oregon Talent Assessment reported that Oregon’s workforce shortage is severe, with about 66 people available to work for every 100 jobs posted in the state.
John Notarianni / OPB
Oregon has lots of jobs. In some ways, too many.
Jobs are especially abundant in Oregon’s healthcare, manufacturing and childcare industries. But the workforce to fill these jobs is lagging and employers — businesses, community organizations, higher education institutions and state agencies — will have to work together to shore up the state’s worker shortage.
Those are some of the key findings from the Oregon Talent Assessment, a biannual report released this week by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Workforce and Talent Development Board.
The report looked at four key industries that have the potential to lift the economic status of Oregonians: healthcare, information technology, construction and wood products manufacturing. It also singled out two jobs that are crucial to a well-oiled economy in Oregon: childcare workers and truck drivers.
Post-pandemic, Oregon’s economy is faring well, according to figures cited in the assessment. The state’s gross domestic product has increased by more than 30% over the last five years and employment grew by 7% from 2020 to 2023. That job growth is expected to increase by 10% over the next ten years.
“Oregon is well positioned when it comes to the labor market,” said Christiana McFarland with the nonprofit research firm SRI, which conducted the assessment. “Most people who want a job, have a job here in the State of Oregon.”
But this good news is tempered with the fact that the state’s current workforce is expected to shrink in coming years. One in four workers are set to retire over the next decade and a 30-year trend in population growth for Oregon ended in 2022.
The continued growth of the state’s economy is dependent on finding, training and retaining skilled workers. Providing periodic training opportunities for workers in information technology and semiconductor spaces is crucial, where technological advancements often outpace STEM programs and certifications. Retraining was also an identified need for Oregon’s trucking industry. Employers surveyed in this industry said balancing time away from a worker’s regular duties with training on new technologies, like lane assist or other semi-automatic safety features, was a challenge.
The assessment reported that Oregon’s workforce shortage is severe, with about 66 people available to work for every 100 jobs posted in the state. Labor shortages in certain industries and jobs are more significant than others. The state needs nearly 27,000 more healthcare workers to meet demand. Registered nurse was the most common position found on Oregon job boards. The report also found that part of the problem is a slow pipeline for healthcare workers due to Oregon’s own regulatory system, with a licensure process that is unusually burdensome for people seeking credentials.
Oregon needs nearly 3,000 more people to fill the demand for childcare workers, a job that is often underpaid. Workers in this job overwhelmingly identify as female and earn just over half of the average salary, $65,000, in Oregon. The lack of available childcare slots has a downstream effect on potential workers, by preventing parents of young children from entering the workforce.
The report offered several recommendations to ensure long-term success for Oregon’s economy and workforce including closer alignment between two big realms: the state’s workforce system, which includes private business leaders, state agencies and community organizations, and the state’s education system, meaning both K-12 and higher education.
The report also called for increased access to workforce opportunities for all Oregonians, something the state has already started doing through Future Ready Oregon, a $200 million investment from the state legislature in 2022. Creating an equitable workforce is the main goal behind the program, which seeks to increase living-wage job opportunities for women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and youth among other marginalized groups in the state.
“There are a number of programs and investments that the state is making to really drive workforce development, talent development into the future,” said McFarland. “The key to success for those programs is going to be the ability to adapt to the changing economy.”
The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Lane County man who once photographed child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey and was convicted in 2021 on several child pornography charges.
Randall DeWitt Simons, 73, of Oakridge, was charged in 2019 with 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was later convicted on every count and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Simons was first arrested after authorities began investigating a report from a restaurant in Oakridge that someone had been using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to download inappropriate and concerning images.
Law enforcement officers directed the business to track, log, and report all of the user’s internet activity to the investigating officer for more than a year, without a warrant.
Police tracked the computer’s IP address from the restaurant’s Wi-Fi system, which led officers to a man who lived near the restaurant and had given Simons a computer, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the laptop in Simon’s home, relying on information they had collected over time. He was subsequently arrested.
On March 26, the court ruled warrantless internet surveillance on public Wi-Fi violates privacy.
In an opinion written by Justice Bronson D. James, the court held that the Oregon Constitution recognizes people have a right to privacy in their internet browsing activities and the right is not extinguished when they use a publicly accessible wireless network. It’s even true in cases where that access is conditioned on a person accepting a terms-of-service agreement that says a provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement, James wrote.
During criminal proceedings in the Lane County Circuit Court, Simons moved to controvert the warrant and suppress the evidence obtained by police, arguing the business was a “state actor for purposes of Article I, section 9, and that its year-long warrantless surveillance was an unconstitutional, warrantless search attributable to the state,” the Supreme Court opinion said.
The Circuit Court denied Simon’s motion. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in part and stated Simons had no cognizable privacy interest in his internet activities performed on a third-party network.
The Oregon Supreme Court rejected the state’s argument.
“The mere fact that a person accesses the internet through a public network does not eliminate their Article I, section 9, right to privacy in their online activities,” according to James. “Even when access is expressly conditioned on a user’s acceptance of terms-of-service provisions purporting to alert the user that the provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement.”
Justice K. Bushong suggested in a partial dissent the Court should reconsider its approach in a future case to what constitutes a “search” under the Oregon Constitution. The court’s decision reverses the Court of Appeals and sends the case back to the Lane County Circuit Court for further proceedings.
Simons has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 2019.
Simons had been a photographer for 6-year-old Colorado beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey a few months before her still-unsolved 1996 murder, the Associated Press reported in 1998.
In October 1998, Simons was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in Lincoln County, Colorado. According to the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” by Lawrence Schiller, Simons was arrested in 1998 for allegedly walking nude down a residential street in the small town of Genoa, Colorado. Simons allegedly offered to the arresting deputy unprovoked, “I didn’t kill JonBenét.”
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.
Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter
Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026
IRRIGON — Young Republicans living in Umatilla and Morrow counties now can join a local chapter of the statewide Young Republicans of Oregon organization.
The Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will advance Republican values and leadership in young residents through political training, networking opportunities and connection to Republican leaders. The group is focused on young adults, generally attracting college-aged people, though it includes people aged 18 to 40.
The five Young Republicans of Oregon members living in Umatilla and Morrow counties elected three officers to lead their new chapter. Irrigon’s Evan Purves was elected chair, with Connor Roberts of Hermiston as his vice chair and Kaelyn Moore of Milton-Freewater serving as secretary.
“I am super grateful for this opportunity to lead my neighbors,” Purves said. “It’s going to be really fun. We have some good events planned.”
Purves, 19, is a student at Blue Mountain Community College who eventually hopes to pursue a four-year degree in public administration. He initially became interested in the Young Republicans during an internship with Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, of Heppner. He said it was an experience that showed him how the legislature works.
The internship also inspired him to step into a leadership role with the Young Republicans and help establish a local chapter of the organization. The newest chapter of the Young Republicans of Oregon, which was announced Monday, March 23, has been in the works since November 2025.
The Young Republicans of Oregon State Chair, Tanner Elliott, said the new chapter — the fourth chapter statewide — indicates momentum for conservative values.
“In less than a year, we’ve continued expanding because young conservatives are stepping up and getting involved in their communities,” Elliott said. “I want to congratulate the chapter’s leadership team on their election and especially commend their new chair Evan Purves for taking on this role. I’m confident this group will make a meaningful impact in Eastern Oregon and help drive our organization forward.”
Future plans in Umatilla, Morrow counties
The leadership team of UMYR already is making efforts to effect change.
In early May, Purves said, Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will host a door knocking campaign in support of Smith’s reelection campaign. There also will be an official kickoff event the same weekend celebrating the new chapter and outlining priorities for the future.
“If there’s anything that we might struggle with is membership,” he said. “The recruiting part is us going out there and hosting events and socials, having opportunities for people to come out and do something fun that anybody’s invited to.”
Regarding other priorities, voter engagement is important to Purves,
“Even though we live in a big conservative area, there’s not a lot of politically engaged people, especially in my generation,” he said. “We want to get them involved.”
He said one of his concerns is businesses leaving the state due to policies that aren’t friendly to corporations, a common issue raised by Republican lawmakers. The decisions being made impact every community, he said, and he wants to have a say in what the leaders are doing.
“These bills affect all of us,” he said. “It’s just important to get people involved and get people to vote and be a part of it.”
People interested in updates on the efforts of the Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans can follow the group on Facebook or Instagram or become a member at yro.gop.
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