April 18, 2017 Emerald Staffing

Portland Jobs Past and Present

Everyone knows Portland is a desirable place to live, and it’s growing rapidly. As a result, the city is going through many changes — increased traffic, new start-ups and businesses opening, and higher home prices, just to name a few. Whether you’ve accepted these changes, or are still clinging to Portland past, there’s no denying this growth presents great opportunities for job seekers and employers alike.

We have more people moving here with more diverse backgrounds, further adding to the talent pool. From 2014 to 2015, Portland grew by a whopping 111 people per day. Because the economy is doing well, and with Oregon’s unemployment rate at a record low, it’s also a job seekers’ market. According to a report on Monster.com, industries seeing the most job growth are Professional and Business Services, Retail, and Healthcare. The same report also states that 44% of available Portland area jobs are for Healthcare, Technology, and Sales workers. Employers in Oregon are having some difficulty filling vacancies, so job seekers in general have the upper hand, but especially in Technology, Medical and Sales fields — so if you’re looking in those areas, you’re in luck!

Now let’s re-wind: Over 100 years ago, Portland was also experiencing a large boom, albeit a slightly different one. After Portland played host to a Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905, a world’s fair, Portland became much more nationally recognizable (kind of like the 20th century version of Portlandia). Newly built railroad networks made it possible for people to travel freely and relocate out west, looking for new opportunities. Portland’s population proceeded to double, growing from 90,426 in 1900, to 207,214 in 1910. Like many cities during this time, the most job growth was occurring within industrial and agriculture sectors — timber, railroads, and farming reigned supreme in the early 1900s Portland.

Today Portland is still idealized as a place with opportunity, innovation, and growth. Now more than ever, we’re happy to be a part Portland’s expanding job market and talent pool!

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