Curious? (Portland, Madras, Dayton: homes, unemployment rate, construction)

[PhillytoCincy]

I work for a tech company based in the Cincinnati/Dayton area and I have traveled to Oregon many times. I have had such a great time there, and it seems like a great place. But why is the unemployment rate so high in Oregon? What is your economy so soley based on that it is so high?

People from Michigan are constantly moving into the Cincinnati/Dayton area, and I can see why. Michigan has dead cities like Detroit, and no jobs. They are so dependent on the auto industry, that they are being killed right now. One problem is, Oregon is not that far off from Michigan's unemployment rate.

I have a friend that just moved from Portland down to Cincinnati. He works for Procter and Gamble based in Cincy. He told me that the affects of the economy could not be felt so bad in Portland, but were much worse in other parts of Oregon... is this true?

Just for everyone curious, here are the current unemployment rates for the states. They are the lastest releases from March:

Current Unemployment Rates for States and Historical Highs/Lows

[Silverfall]

The unemployment rate is high because

1) we don't have a large manufacturing base here.
2) Timber which is a large export for Oregon has been hard hit with the economy. Many mills are closing.
3) Oregon has had a lot of influx of people in the past few years so we have had a disproportionate amount of influx with no/little job growth
4) Some of the increase in unemployment is because people aren't leaving the state to find jobs elsewhere, but instead partners that didn't work before are trying to enter the workforce which is increasing the pool of folks looking for a job.

Many of the smaller Oregon towns have been hard hit because they were timber dependent. So, yes I think it is fair to say that Portland is fairing better than many of the other areas of Oregon.

[EnricoV]

Portland is faring better than rural Oregon. I don't remember if it was the county, or just the city, but Madras (central Oregon) was mentioned as being one person in four was seeking assistance of some sort. That's high numbers.

A recent newspaper article put some spin on why Oregon's is so high - or at least, why they felt it was. One was, they felt a lot more people were attempting to re-enter the workforce. So not necessarily people who've lost jobs, but retired folk, self-employed, spouses, etc. were looking for jobs to supplement losses in retirement, income, etc. Another factor (they were comparing it to Michigan, which is the highest) they felt was places with big industries closing down, people were picking up and moving away. But in Oregon, where that's not the cause, they're staying put.

[dsh1127]

I agree with both of you. I am in one of the more rural areas of Oregon, but consider myself very lucky that both my husband and I still have our jobs! I know if one or both of us were to lose our jobs, we would not consider moving away, because this is such a great place to live!

I think many people that live here, or even move here, would rather live here with hard times and less pay, than somewhere else with better jobs, that may not be as nice of a place to live.

[Waterlily]

Unemployment has spread to many kinds of work. Fishing has cut backs as there are not enough fish in the sea anymore. Nursery products are not selling as much as they used to. Tourism is down. The r.v. manufactering has cut way back and some companys have closed. Construction is slow. All these things cut into other areas of employment. The Casino here laid off some employees a while back. One thing just leads to another cut back.

Spring is here, and I'm starting to see more people out. Some people are getting out to fix up their yards and homes. Things could pick up soon.

[PhillytoCincy]

Thank you all for your insights!

Oregon is a beautiful state, and everytime I go there I am amazed by how friendly the people are.

I wish all of you the best of luck, and I hope Oregon, just like so many other places out there can pull through this rough economy.