Consumers, HP, Unemployment, and Crook County

As you can remember from last month, consumer confidence was pretty low causing a lot of people and businesses to worry. Well the numbers in January have not gotten any better and have even darkened the moods of many Americans towards the economy. The Conference Board said that the consumer index is at 37.7 for January, which is down from the revised 38.6 that it posted in December and even lower than the 39 that economist expected. In recent months the index has hit new lows and is lower than half of what it posted in January 2007, which was 87.3. Consumers are starting the new year with the same kind of pessimism that they had at the end of 2008. Economists are watching consumer spending very closely since consumer spending amounts for two thirds of economic activity.

Back in November, there was on article about Hewlett Packard being in some trouble, well now they are in the midst of eliminating 150 to 200 jobs at the Vancouver, Washington plant. This is due to HP shutting down its local Edgeline printer team and other engineering groups. The 174 acre campus has been for sale and they have had no luck in finding a buyer, which calls into question HP's long term plans for Vancouver. HP has been one of the areas top employers as far as jobs and salaries are concern. Many of the workers earn close $100,000 a year, but the company is may now be down to only 650 employees after this round of layoffs, which at the compnaies height had close to 3,300 in the 1990's.

With all the troubles that the nation is having with unemployment, Oregon has definitely been feeling the pain as well. In December, every county in the state of Oregon experienced an increase in unemployemnt unlike from a year ago. One third of the 36 counties in Oregon had at least a double digit unemployment rate, but nearly all of those were outside of the Willamette Valley. Counties that are especially dependant on wood products were hit the hardest. Grant County had the states highest unemployment rate at 15.9% which is up 10% from a year before. Crook County, where wood-products is the single largest employer, the jobless rate double fro, 7.3% to 14%.

Crook County which had the highest unemployment rate in November at 12.4%, but it was not always like that. Just two years ago, the area was booming with jobs in construction, services and wood products. It has since relinquished its crown from November, but now has the second highest unemployment rate at 14% and things are not looking bright. Compare that to Multnomah County which has 7.8% and Oregon's state unemployment is at 8.8%. Crook County is sadly in a world of hurt.

So Portland, with all of this uneasiness that is going around, you should take a chance with the Employmentguide. I know times are hard and its seems like there is nothing but doom and gloom. We are currentley in the process of trying to employ 10,000 people this year, so you should come out to our job fair on February 25th. Hope to see you guys there!

Portland Employment Guide January 26th - February 1st

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The 44th President, Birth Rate, and Generation Y Job Seekers

As many of you watch the Presidential Inauguration today and wonder how the next four years of your life are going to be like. Sure this country is down right now, but hopefully with change comes a new beginning on our current situation. I am sure that a lot people could use a fresh start.


An article came out last week dealing with the current economic situation and its effects on people starting a family. With the current economic crisis many people feel that this not the right time to start a family or have another child. According to the American Psychological Association, the economy is the leading source of worry for most people, with 80% saying that they feel stress about their personal finances. Birth Rates do tend to drop in times of economic crisis. There was a dramatic decline in the fertility rates following the great depression. That was the first time in US history that women's average child bearing went from three children per household to two. Studies also show in the previous recessions that the birth rate dipped slightly as well. How much the birth rate will dip this time depends on how long and how severe this recession will be.

If you are apart of Generation Y like me and having a hard time finding a job, you are not alone. The unemployment rate for younger workers in their 20's is well above the average which is just the opposite for those towards the end of their careers. For workers that are under the age of 29 the unemployment rate jumped up to more than 11% in December compared to only 9% last year. That is far worse than the national average of 7.2% which is also up 4.9% from a year ago. If that seems bad, it is far worse for those in their teens were the unemployment rate is nearly 20%. Older workers seem to have the leg up on the younger generation and that typically happens in almost any downturn, but this one has been harder because many were blindsided.

So Portland, with our new President being sworn into office today, do you think things will change for the better? Or is anybody planning on starting a family or having a hard time finding a job? Here at Employmentguide.com we are striving to help those in need during a time of crisis.

Portland Employment Guide January 19th - January 25th

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Portland Employment Guide January 12th -January 18th

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BMC West And Les Schwab

The building materials provider BMC West announced on Monday that it was going to close its Sherwood office and slash an undetermined number of local jobs. The number of job lose has not been finalized yet. The Sherwood office had 109 employees and up to 105 of them will begin being laid off on March 2nd. Though the company says that it will try to retain as many as it can, but those looking to transfer are going to have to wait as the company revises it's business plan in the next two months. Building Material Holding, BMC West's parent company had been a fixture on the Forbes Fortune 1000 list, with the company posting profits of over $300 million from 2003-2006. However, in 2007 they posted a loss of $313 million. According to Stan Wilson, Building Material Holdings president, Portland's sagging construction market made it a target for reduction.

Elsewhere in the Northwest, Les Schwab has eliminated 65 jobs in the Prineville area. However, the company plans to bring back at least 38 of the workers when the economy improves. Jodi Hueske, a Les Schwab executive said that they are selling, loading, and hauling fewer tires which effects everyone. Les Schwab had moved it headquarters to Prineville from Bend last month. They left behind around 600 employees to work in the tire distribution center there. Prineville is located in Crook County, which had the state's highest unemployment rate in November at 12.4%

So Portland, tell us if you were effected by the these recent job reductions in the state. If so, you can always find help here at the Employment Guide. You can also leave your comment in the section below.

Portland Employment Guide January 5th - January 11th

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