Douglas County Economic Indicators - March 2026
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
The March 2026 edition of the Douglas County Indicators are attached for download, with highlights below. It’s a bit different this month. I don’t have new monthly data to highlight - Oregon’s local monthly employment reports will resume in April after delays following last fall’s federal government shutdown.
This month I’ll use the space for a deep dive into our Job Vacancy Survey, which goes out to thousands of private businesses in Oregon each quarter. If you receive and fill out this survey, you have my deep thanks. It provides a unique look into and workforce gaps and pain points across the state.
The number of vacancies increased in Southwestern Oregon last year, although it’s still down from its peak in 2021-2022. These openings were also on average easier to fill than in previous years, which is tied to the loosening labor market relative to 5 years ago.
Not every job is equally difficult to fill. The jobs with the highest number of difficult to fill openings represent a variety of industries, but tend to be large roles with specific training pathways or at the entry level of faster growing sectors such as construction or health care.
Businesses tell us why they believe that jobs are difficult to fill. The number one reason in 2025 was a lack of qualified applicants, at nearly a third of responses. Other major reasons included a lack of soft skills or applicants at all.
Source on all charts: Oregon Employment Department Job Vacancy Survey
This month’s articles included:
Top Occupations Oregon Employers Were Hiring in 2025 Job Vacancies on Quality Info
Oregon’s Labor Leverage Ratio Declines with Steady Quits and More Layoffs on Quality Info
Health Care Jobs Now and Into the Future on Quality Info
If you have a data question or want to learn more about any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Henry L. Fields
Workforce Analyst/Economist
Serving Lane and Douglas counties
Oregon Employment Department
(541) 359-9178
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