Michelle Cordova, executive director of the Willamette Heritage Center, stands outside the center’s buildings. She said that normally it would be packed but has been empty because of the pandemic. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) Michelle Cordova stood in the middle of the red-brick historic buildings at the Willamette Heritage Center and[Read More…]
Tag: SALEM ECONOMY
COLUMN: Numbers reveal how low-wage workers hit hardest by the pandemic
A graph of the average annual all-industry wages of several areas in Oregon. (Courtesy/Pam Ferrara) The Salem area unemployment rate came down by a bit more than a percentage point from June to July, a smaller drop than the three points from May to June. As a result, 3,000 people[Read More…]
Salem area unemployment rate drops, yet remains high
In July 35 of Oregon’s 36 counties saw drops in their unemployment rates, including Polk and Marion counties. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department) In another signal that the economy is rebounding, the unemployment rate for the Salem area has dropped for the third month in a row. Numbers released by the Oregon[Read More…]
COLUMN: The pandemic shut-down hit low-wage workers and minorities the hardest
A graph showing the percent change in the Salem area’s private sector employment from Februay 2020. (Source: Oregon Employment Department) The pandemic-related shutdown of the economy will go into the record books with a lot of “firsts” and we’ve just seen another one. The unemployment rate in the Salem area[Read More…]
COLUMN: Unemployment rate dips slightly, but low-wage workers continue to be hardest hit
A graph showing the percentage of total U.S. employment in goods producing and service producing industries from 1950 to 2018. (Courtesy/ Oregon Employment Department) The good news for Salem’s economy is that the unemployment rate has come down from 13.2 percent in April to 12.7 percent in May. The not-so-good[Read More…]
Minimum wage workers will soon see extra on their paychecks
A map of the minimum wage increases across Oregon starting July 1. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department) Low-wage workers in Marion and Polk counties will get a 75-cent raise starting next week when the state’s minimum wage increases for the fourth time since 2016. Workers will now be paid at least $12[Read More…]
COLUMN: Unemployment figures for Salem can be tricky to translate
A graph from the Oregon Employment Department, released May 19, illustrates job losses during previous recessions and how they compare to the current economic downturn. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department) The Salem area unemployment rate took an unprecedented one-month jump from March to April of more than nine points, due to the[Read More…]
A dime here, a dime there – bottle recycling centers in Salem staying busy
Patience and social distancing are two requirements for cashing in bottles and cans at Salem’s BottleDrop centers. Customers cash in at the center on Northeast Commercial Street on Friday, May 1. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) During the virus outbreak, recycling bottles and cans has become an essential business. In Oregon, cans,[Read More…]
Salem economy strong heading into the holidays, despite recent shakeup
People shop in downtown Salem. (File/Caleb Wolfe/Special to Salem Reporter) Oregon’s economy is strong heading into the holiday season, and Salem is no exception. Unemployment is at historic lows, wages are growing, and people have money to spend, a reversal from the recession a decade ago. These trends are carrying[Read More…]
Salem’s economy takes a jolt as 1,000 jobs disappear with NORPAC collapse
A NORPAC-branded truck transports frozen vegetables in Oregon. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Agriculture) The impending closure of a century-old food processing company will have wide impacts on Salem’s economy as nearly 1,000 workers seek new jobs over the holidays and Willamette Valley farmers scramble for a new buyer for next season’s[Read More…]
