Winter 2026 Hiring Among Oregon’s Private Employers Remained Flat from Fall

April 23, 2026

Each quarter, the Oregon Employment Department surveys private employers from all industries and areas of the state to ask about the job vacancies they are actively trying to fill. Oregon businesses reported 45,300 vacancies in winter 2026. Vacancies decreased 2% from the fall and decreased 12% from winter 2025. 

After reaching elevated levels of close to 100,000 job vacancies in spring 2021 through summer 2022 in the rapid hiring following pandemic re-openings, job vacancies across Oregon returned to pre-pandemic levels from 2023 to mid-2025. Winter 2026 levels were similar to levels seen prior to the pandemic in winter 2018 and 2019.

In January 2026, there were 6.6 million private-sector job openings in the United States, as measured by the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, and 7.9 million people were unemployed, resulting in a U.S. ratio of about 1.2 unemployed people per job opening. Over the past year and a half, the U.S. unemployed to job vacancy ratio has been around 1.0 or slightly higher. 

There were 128,900 unemployed Oregonians in January 2026 and 45,300 job vacancies, leaving almost three unemployed persons for every job opening. As job vacancies in Oregon have fallen since the record high peaks and unemployment has been rising, Oregon’s unemployed-to-job vacancy ratio has been increasing.Most Oregon openings in winter 2026 were for full-time, permanent positions. Education beyond high school was required for 40% of winter vacancies. Prior work experience was required for 60% of vacancies. Employers reported 46% of vacancies in winter 2026 as difficult to fill. This was only the second quarter since spring 2020 that fewer than 50% of vacancies were considered difficult to fill.

The average starting wage among this group of vacancies was $25.42 per hour, an inflation-adjusted decrease of 2% from winter 2025, and a 5% decrease from fall 2025.  The number of vacancies offering a starting wage below $20 per hour decreased 26% over the year. The number of vacancies offering between $20 and $30 per hour decreased 14% over the year and vacancies paying above $30 per hour decreased 9%.

Hiring demand existed throughout different industries and occupations, though it remained highly concentrated in the private health care and social assistance industry which represented 33% of all job vacancies. Management, administrative, and waste services and leisure and hospitality followed, with 5,200 and 4,400 job vacancies, respectively.

Employers reported vacancies in over 200 different occupations in the winter. The occupation groups with the most vacancies in winter 2026 were health care support (6,700), health care practitioners and technical (4,900), and community and social service (4,500) occupations. Detailed occupations reported most frequently included personal care aides, nursing assistants, and customer service representatives.  

Winter vacancies were distributed across the state. However, in winter 2026 job vacancies at private employers were highly concentrated in the Portland Tri-County area (Portland-Metro and Clackamas County, combined). This area represented over half (51%) of all job vacancies across the state. 

More details about Oregon Job Vacancies are available on QualityInfo.org, on the publications page under Job Vacancy Survey.