Registered Nurses Heads List of Jobs with Most Vacancies in Eastern Oregon in 2024

March 12, 2025

According to the most recent Oregon Employment Department Job Vacancy Survey of private employers, the occupation with the most job openings in Eastern Oregon (includes Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa counties) in 2024 was registered nurses with 137, or 5.3% of the total vacancies within the region. This occupation involves performing duties such as assessing patient health problems and needs, developing and implementing nursing care plans, and maintaining medical records. Duties also include administering nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients, may include advising patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or providing case management. The average hourly wage for this occupation within the region is $51.52. The typical entry level education for this occupation is a Bachelor’s degree and licensing or registration with the State Board of Nursing is required.

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists had the next highest number of vacancies within the region, accounting for 4.7% of openings. This occupation involves providing beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May also include shampooing hair, applying makeup, dressing wigs, removing hair, and providing nail and skincare services. The average hourly wage for this occupation within the region is $18.94. The typical entry level education for this occupation is non-degree postsecondary training.

Nursing assistants, personal care aides, and maids and housekeeping cleaners, with 4.5%, 3.6%, and 2.8% of openings, respectively, round out the top five. The typical entry level education for nursing assistants is non-degree postsecondary training. It is less than high school for the other two occupations. The average hourly wages in the region for these occupations are $21.76 for nursing assistants, $17.75 for personal care aides, and $17.01 for maids and housekeeping cleaners.