The counties of Southwestern Oregon – Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties – have all experienced an increase in nominal wages since 2011. However, real wage growth is the net growth in wages after adjusting for inflation. This measurement is a more telling indicator of how far each county’s average annual wages go, or rather what their annual average wage’s purchasing power is over time as inflation occurs. For example, a certain set of workers could receive a 2 percent raise in their wages at the beginning of the year, but see inflation rise at 3 percent from the year prior. Therefore, they have actually experienced a decrease in the purchasing power of their wages as their dollar won’t go as

As the wet months of winter and early spring are now behind us and last year’s economic data have been checked and rechecked, now is a good time to take a look at Curry County’s economy. Usually, we analyze business activities on the basis of business type and ownership – is the business owned by private individuals or is the activity one that government oversees? For example, we typically look at private schools and health care providers separately from public providers. However, since the services and workforce needs are the same, we could view these private and public entities as a combined category. In other words, all education and health-related work is grouped together regardless of w

As the wet months of winter and early spring fade behind us and last year’s economic data have been checked and rechecked, now is a good time to take a look at Coos County’s economy. Usually, we analyze business activities on the basis of business type and ownership – is the business owned by private individuals or is the activity one that government oversees? For example, we typically look at private schools and health care providers separately from public providers. However, since the services and workforce needs are the same, we could view these private and public entities as a combined category. In other words, all education and health-related work is grouped together regardless of wheth

Employment in South Coast: May 2017 Civilian Labor Force and Number Employed Are Increasing Coos County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined in May to 4.7 percent from a revised 4.9 percent in April. The rate is below the May 2016 rate (6.6%). Oregon’s seasonally adjusted May unemployment rate was 3.6 percent; the national rate was 4.3 percent. The county’s total nonfarm payroll employment increased over the month by 350 jobs. Industries reporting gains included a 180-job gain in local government, reflecting seasonal shifts in local education. Other industries with over-the-month gains included leisure and hospitality (+60); construction (+30); and retail trade (+20). There wer