Oregon Job Vacancies: 2024 Hiring Fell to Pre-Pandemic Levels
February 27, 2025Oregon private employers reported 57,800 job openings at any given time in 2024. This was a 21% decline from the 72,800 job openings seen in 2023. Oregon saw record high level of job vacancies in the recovery from the pandemic recession in 2021 and 2022, while 2023 vacancy levels were slightly declined but still elevated from the previous high seen in 2016 (60,700).
Throughout the year, the Oregon Employment Department surveys private employers from all industries and areas of the state to ask about job vacancies they are actively trying to fill. For each vacancy, the employer provides the job title, starting wage, and education and experience requirements for the job. They also specify whether their vacancies are for full- or part-time positions, and permanent or seasonal jobs. If they face challenges with vacancies, employers also write in the primary reason for difficulty filling their job openings.
The volume of vacancies in 2024 looked very similar to levels seen pre-pandemic in 2018 and 2019. But some characteristics Oregon employers were hiring for remained similar over time, despite fluctuations in total volume. A typical job vacancy in Oregon tended to be for a permanent, full-time position. In 2024, 79% of job vacancies were for full-time positions and nearly all (94%) were for permanent positions.
In 2024, 23% of job vacancies had been open for 60 days or longer. This was similar to 2023, but marked a decrease from 2021 and 2022, when about one-third of job vacancies were open longer than 60 days. It continued to be less difficult for employers to fill their job vacancies. 55% of job vacancies in 2024 were considered difficult to fill by employers, compared to 72% in the peak of the jobs recovery in 2021 and 2022.
Nearly two fifths of job vacancies (39%) required education beyond high school in 2024 and 2023. This was the highest percentage of job vacancies requiring education beyond high school since 2019 (34%). During the intense job recovery in 2021 and 2022, only about 30% of job vacancies required education beyond high school. In 2024, 55% of job vacancies required some amount of previous experience and the average hourly wage for job vacancies was $25.37.
In 2024, health care and social assistance reported the most vacancies of any industry (18,200), nearly three times as many vacancies has the next highest industry, leisure and hospitality (6,400). These two sectors were followed by manufacturing (5,400), retail trade (4,800), and management, administrative, and waste services (4,000). Alone, private health care and social assistance accounted for one-third of all vacancies. All industries reported at least 1,000 vacancies, except for natural resources and mining (650) and information (400).
Employers were hiring for a wide variety of jobs; they reported vacancies for almost 400 different occupations. Top occupations across the economy included personal care aides (2,400); fast food and counter workers (2,000); and registered nurses (1,500).
Full-Time and Permanent Help Wanted
Almost all job vacancies across Oregon (94%) were considered to be permanent positions by employers in 2024. Across all industries, most job vacancies (79%) offered full-time employment in 2024. That share rose as high as 95% in financial activities and 94% in the transportation warehousing, and utilities industry and construction.
Leisure and hospitality had the lowest industry average, with only 53% of job vacancies listed as full-time positions. Fast food and counter workers, restaurant cooks, maids and housekeeping cleaners had the most openings in leisure and hospitality, but for the latter and the former, a little over one-third of the vacancies were full-time positions. In every other sector, at least 75% of job openings were for full-time work.
Almost two-fifths (39%) of job vacancies require education beyond high school. That varied widely among industries. While more than half of professional scientific, and technical services (84%), private educational services (77%), health care and social assistance (55%), and transportation warehouses and utilities (53%) job openings required higher education, few openings among leisure and hospitality (5%), natural resources and mining (10%), and retail trade (11%) required education beyond high school.
More Education, More Experience, and Higher Wages
As education requirements rose, so did the average starting wage for job openings. Job vacancies with no education requirement averaged $19.32 per hour in 2024. That rose to $20.52 for job vacancies requiring a high school diploma. Employers offered an average of $33.61 per hour for jobs with either some college, an associate degree, or a special certification beyond high school. Vacancies with bachelor’s or advanced degree requirements paid even more per hour, averaging $43.36.
Shares of job vacancies requiring previous experience also rose along with education requirements. While 39% of job vacancies with no education requirement reported a need for previous experience, almost two-thirds (64%) with a high school diploma wanted seasoned candidates. Similarly, 63% of job vacancies where applicants needed postsecondary or other certifications required some amount of previous experience. Nearly all (94%) job openings at the bachelor’s and advanced degree level required previous work experience.
Summary
After the rapid hiring seen in Oregon in 2021 and 2022 slowed in 2023, vacancies dropped to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Most job openings across the state tended to be for full-time and permanent positions. Vacancies with higher education requirements also came along with a greater likelihood for prior experience requirements, and higher average wages. Most notably, the health care and social assistance industry dominated hiring in Oregon, representing one-third of all vacancies in 2024.
More information about regional and statewide job vacancies can be found in the Job Vacancy Survey section on the publications page of QualityInfo.org.