Oregon’s labor market has stagnated , with major employers shedding jobs and the unemployment rate creeping up to its highest level since the pandemic.

The most recent data from the Oregon Employment Department suggests that paychecks have continued to rise, at least through the end of last year, with wage growth generally outpacing inflation.

Wages are growing much faster in some industries than others, though, and even within certain industries where some jobs pay much better than others.

Oregon’s median hourly wage was $28.35 in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the employment department. That works out to about $59,000 a year for someone working full time, 40 hours a week.

Wages grew by about 1.3% overall compared to the same period a year earlier, after adjusting

See Full Page