March 26 Meeting – Economy & Employment in the Rogue Valley
Guy Tauer, Regional Employment Economist from the State of Oregon Employment Department was the featured presenter this week. He provided updates on employment across the US, Western US and Oregon and Regional areas showing both improvements and declines from years past. Here are highlights from our Oregon and Region:
- Economic activity in the Twelfth District (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) ticked down during the January to mid-February reporting period.
- Employment levels were generally stable, and labor availability continued to improve.
- Wages grew slightly in recent weeks, and prices rose slightly overall.
- Retail sales fell modestly, and demand for consumer and business services weakened a bit.
- Manufacturing activity improved somewhat, while conditions in the agriculture and resource-related sectors weakened slightly.
- Conditions in the residential real estate sector softened slightly on net.
- Overall conditions of community organizations and small businesses weakened.
- Wildfire recovery efforts were reportedly boosted by increased donations and improved coordination among individuals and institutions.
- Contacts’ economic outlook worsened somewhat relative to the prior reporting period.
Guy asks “Have you been asked to participate in a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey? Please do!”
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Guy Tauer, Regional Employment Economist
Guy.R.Tauer@employ.Oregon.gov