Document text
Oregon Industries Could Face Uneven Strain as U.S.-Born Workforce Shrinks and Immigrant Workforce Grows Top Stories By Diane Megaw On Feb 14, 2026 Last updated Feb 14, 2026 Aumsville farm, Oregon [ Courtesy: NRCS Oregon With January employment data indicating that the nationwide US-born workforce is shrinking while the foreign-born workforce grows, Oregon’s labor market, with a larger-than-average share of migratory workers concentrated in sectors like manufacturing and agriculture, could mean that national swings in immigrant employment will hit Oregon industries unevenly. Federal Data And Demographics Of Oregon’s Workforce In a recent post on the social media platform X, MacroEdge shared what it called “bizarre” national January employment details: The US-born workforce fell by 1.195 million. The foreign-born workforce grew by 565,000. Tidings Data Snapshot January 2026 / Native vs Foreign Born Employment Shift 1.195M Native born employed change / Dec 2025 to Jan 2026 565K Foreign born employed change / Dec 2025 to Jan 2026 66.7% / 61.2% Labor force participation / foreign born vs native born / Jan 2026 31.677M / 131.413M Employed level / foreign born vs native born / Jan 2026 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Employment Situation Table A 7 and BLS nativity employment series (Dec 2025, Jan 2026) via FRED Dailytidings.com This suggests that foreign-born workers have higher labor force participation than native born workers. Because several of Oregon’s sectors, like manufacturing and agriculture, have an immigrant-heavy workforce, the state’s labor market data shows immigrants are a bigger-than-population share of the workforce. As a result, national swings in immigrant employment can hit Oregon industries unevenly. The new data comes after Oregon’s unemployment rate hit 5.2% as the state fell to the 47th worst in the nation in November. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.6% in the same month. For January 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) table A-7 shows that the participation rate was foreign born 66.7% vs native born 61.2%. In numbers, the agency indicated that there are 31,677K foreign born workers compared with 131,413K native born workers. In Oregon, research indicates that the ACS 2022 five-year estimates showed that just over 13% of the workforce in Oregon was foreign-born. Here is where foreign born workers are most concentrated in Oregon industries: Oregon industry Foreign born share of workers in sector Native born share of workers in sector Manufacturing Over 17% 10% Agriculture / forestry / fishing / hunting / mining More than 6% Just over 2% Educational services / health care / social assistance 19% 24% Retail trade 8% 12% In industries reliant on immigrant labor, over 17% of foreign-born workers were in manufacturing, and more than 6% were in agriculture. These industries reflected native workers as just over 2%. Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email