Strong economic growth in Oregon means there were about 40 percent more jobs available for unemployed people at the end of last year, than at the same time the year prior.
Oregon businesses reported more than 45,000 job vacancies during the fall of 2014 -- that's an increase of more than 13,000 from 2013.
Gail Krumenauer with the Oregon Employment Department says many of the vacancies were in the health care, manufacturing and retail sectors: "It's not just one type of occupation that's out there," she said. "Manufactures are looking for anything from assemblers and machine operators to engineers and drivers. Registered nurses and nursing assistants were among the most commonly reported vacancies in health care."
On average, there are about three unemployed people for every job vacancy.
Those are high odds if you're looking for work, but a lot better than the 8-to-1 ratio seen a year ago.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
