JOLTS: Labor Demand in Oregon

November 04, 2026

Labor demand in Oregon continued to decline in 2025 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program.

JOLTS is a monthly survey that is used to measure labor availability and demand through job openings, hires, and separations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates estimates using national surveys of about 21,000 establishments. State-level JOLTS data, however, is largely estimated using national data input models, with limited information gathered specifically from Oregon businesses. More details on the BLS’s methods are available on their website.

2025 revealed much of the same trends witnessed over the last few years. Although the labor market remained relatively tight, the demand for labor continued to decline.

Labor Demand Remains Fairly Quiet in 2025

In 2025, annual total hires, defined as all additions to payroll, were estimated at 807,000. This was over a 5% drop from the prior year and down nearly 24% from the record peak of total hires in 2022.

The hiring rate, or hires as a percentage of employment, also waned further down to 3.4% annually in 2025 compared to the rate of 3.6% the year before. This 3.4% rate tied for the lowest recorded annual hiring rate which previously occurred in 2010, and again in 2012. The highest recorded annual hiring rate in Oregon was 4.9% in 2005.

In Oregon in 2025, the BLS estimated a monthly average of 83,000 job openings – defined as a firm actively recruiting for a position that starts within 30 days. Comparatively, there were 145,000 in 2022, the highest annual average job openings level in Oregon since the BLS started tracking job openings in 2001. 2025’s monthly average continued the downward trend since 2022, with a nearly 18% drop in annual average job openings from the previous year.The job openings rate – the percentage of the job openings divided by the sum of employment and job openings – experienced an annual average of 4% in 2025. This was down from 4.8% the previous year, and a drop of nearly three percentage points from the JOLTS series peak annual average of 6.9% in 2022. The lowest yearly rate of the series came in 2009 at 2.2%.

Separations Reveal Interesting Trends

With the ongoing decline in labor demand, separation data equally showed a labor market continuing to cool. Total annual layoffs and discharges decreased again from the previous year, down to 230,000 in 2025. This was the third lowest annual total, and the lowest since the record low of 223,000 in 2022. Total annual quits displayed similar trends, decreasing 5.3% from the previous year down to 483,000 in 2025. The highest level recorded was 668,000 in 2022, and the record low came in 2010 with 272,000 total annual quits.The quits rate, defined as quits as a percentage of employment, was also trending lower, down to 2% in 2025. The annual quits rate has ranged between a low of 1.4% in 2010 and 2012, and the record high rate of 3% in 2021.

Total annual layoffs and discharges were estimated at 230,000 in 2025, a 4.6% decrease from the previous year. This was the third lowest annual total in JOLTS history for Oregon, with the record low being 223,000 in 2022. Layoffs and discharges remained fairly steady maintaining similar trends from the last four years.The annual layoff and discharge rate – layoffs and discharges as a percentage of employment – in Oregon held at 1% for the fifth year in a row. This has been the lowest ever rate in Oregon, with the record high of 2.9% set in 2020.

In 2025, Oregon experienced a labor market continuing to cool from the elevated trends rebounding from the pandemic. In like fashion, hiring and retention challenges continued to ease. Although quits fluctuated a bit over the year, firms statewide showed a decreasing need for labor while generally retaining employees.