Small business owners in Oregon continue to face difficulties filling job openings, according to the latest monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The report found that 33% of small business owners nationwide had positions they could not fill in December, a figure unchanged from November and above the historical average of 24%.
Anthony Smith, NFIB Oregon State Director, commented on the findings: “Small business owners are still struggling to fill their open positions, even more so than what’s historically normal. At the same time, 117,019 Oregonians are currently unemployed – a rate of 5.2%, which is worse than 47 other states, and much higher than the national average. This is incredibly frustrating data to make sense of.”
The NFIB Jobs Report draws on a national survey of member small-business owners. The December survey included responses from 429 randomly selected firms but does not provide state-specific breakdowns.
Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB Chief Economist, added: “The economic climate continues to support the small business labor market. Although employment conditions vary, fewer owners report labor as their biggest challenge while compensation pressures are escalating.”
According to the report’s highlights:
– In December, 53% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire staff, a decrease from November.
– Labor quality was cited as the most important problem by 19% of small business owners in December.
– A net 31% reported raising compensation during December compared with November; another net 24% plan to increase pay over the next three months.
For ongoing updates about small businesses in Oregon, visit www.nfib.com or follow @NFIB_OR on X.
NFIB has represented America’s small and independent businesses for over eight decades across all fifty states and Washington D.C., focusing exclusively on advocacy for these enterprises since its founding in 1943.
