Pamela Ferrara - Special to the Salem Reporter
Pamela Ferrara is a part-time research associate with the Willamette Workforce Partnership, the area’s local workforce board. Ferrara has worked in research at the Oregon Employment Department, earned a Master’s in Labor Economics, and speaks fluent Spanish.
COLUMN: Health care employment growing slowly in Salem, despite high need
Columnist Pamela Ferrara explains what employment data and projections show about Salem's workforce as the region sees a growing need for health care employees.
COLUMN: Unemployment low in Salem, but wage growth mixed
Despite wage increases, the leisure and hospitality industry hasn't added many jobs in recent years compared to other sectors of Salem's economy.
COLUMN: With food prices climbing, not all are feeling the impact of rising wages
COLUMN: Economic signs are improving but those on the lower wage scale still aren't feeling optimistic. What the numbers show about why that may be.
COLUMN: Hiring challenges remain for law enforcement in Salem area
While hiring challenges have eased for many employers, columnist Pamela Ferrara explains local police agencies are still seeing lower applicant numbers and beefing up recruiting efforts.
COLUMN: Better data on gig workers needed to inform policy
Data on gig workers varies wildly, but Salem has tens of thousands of people working jobs like food delivery or running errands, columnist Pamela Ferrara writes.
COLUMN: What Salem’s unemployment rate really means
Columnist Pamela Ferrara explains how a key piece of local economic data - the unemployment rate - is calculated.
COLUMN: Diverse manufacturing has kept Salem’s economy strong
For decades, no one private sector has dominated the economy in Marion County. That's made it easier for the region to weather economic downturns, columnist Pamela Ferrara writes.
COLUMN: Salem ahead of Oregon in pandemic economic recovery
Salem leads western Oregon in job recovery since the pandemic, thanks to a diversified economy and the stability of state government, columnist Pamela Ferrara writes.
COLUMN: What Oregon’s declining population means for workers
The Mid-Valley region will need about 28,530 workers over the next decade. Declining population could make that a challenge, writes columnist Pamela Ferrara.
COLUMN: A closer look at food inflation
Columnist Pamela Ferrara looks at why food prices rose so much over the past two years, and what might be ahead for Salem shoppers.