Job Opening Trends in Help Wanted Online Ads

by Luke Coury and Molly Hendrickson

May 26, 2026

The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine series measures online job ad volume over time, aggregated from a broad universe of job boards. It’s a useful source of information about demand for workers in Oregon’s labor market, often seen as a leading indicator, as job ads show employers' intentions to hire in the near term.

Oregon Online Ads Declined in April

Oregon had 95,600 online ads in April 2026, down over the month from 97,600 in March. The number of ads posted for the first time (new ads) decreased by 80. Online ads peaked in the historically tight labor market in the two years following the pandemic-recession, but have since decreased.

 

 

The number of unemployed Oregonians per online ad rose to over 3.0 during the pandemic before dropping to a low of slightly over 0.5 in 2022. Since then, the ratio has gradually increased to around 1.0. The ratio of unemployed persons to online postings was 1.2 in April.

 

 

Online Ads Grew Nationally in April

Online ads nationally followed a similar trend to Oregon. The U.S. had 7.4 million ads in April and new ads increased by 74,400.

 

 

Oregon’s ad volume was in between its neighboring states in April. California had the most ads with 681,600 followed by Washington with 160,600. Nevada and Idaho had fewer ads than Oregon with 63,800 and 44,000, respectively.

New Ads Varied by Oregon Area

Ad volume varied significantly among Oregon’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). The Portland MSA had the most ads in April with 57,470. Portland new ads decreased by 50. For Oregon’s other metro areas:

  • The Salem MSA had 9,350 ads. New ads decreased by 110.

  • The Eugene MSA had 7,460 ads. New ads decreased by 100.

  • The Medford MSA had 3,970 ads. New ads decreased by 40.

  • The Bend MSA had 5,590 ads. New ads decreased by 30.

  • The Corvallis MSA had 1,930 ads. New ads increased by 160.

  • The Albany MSA had 2,080 ads. New ads increased by 10.

  • The Grants Pass MSA had 1,090 ads. New ads decreased by 50.

(Note: On the graph below, press on the series in the legend to select or deselect each series from the visualization)

 

 

The two counties making up the Portland MSA had the highest ad volumes of any county in Oregon. Multnomah County had the highest ad volume with 23,500 followed by Washington County with 15,900.

 

 

Ad volume was also estimated by local workforce area. Portland-Metro had the the highest number of job openings with 39,400 followed by Mid-Valley (13,900), Clackamas (9,400), East Cascades (8,800), Lane (7,700), Northwest Oregon (5,700), Rogue Valley (5,300), Eastern Oregon (3,800), and Southwestern Oregon (3,500).

(Note: On the graph below, press on the series in the legend to select or deselect each series from the visualization)

 

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