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Oregon Loses Nearly 10,000 Manufacturing Jobs Despite Incentives as Tariffs Fuel a Growing Factory Slowdown News By Lucille McNamara On Dec 21, 2025 Last updated Dec 21, 2025 Despite huge state incentives to attract the manufacturing sector to Oregon, the state has shed nearly 10,000 factory jobs in the last 12 months. While the semiconductor industry may not be the largest in the number of people it employs, it is the biggest in dollar value, and has been steadily culling its workforce over the last year. Program What it offers Scale or term Oregon CHIPS Fund Direct incentives for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing projects Up to $240 million authorized Strategic Investment Program Property tax relief for large traded sector capital investments 15 year partial exemption Enterprise Zone Property tax exemption on qualifying new plant and equipment 3 to 5 years (typical standard program) The Wood Product Manufacturing Sector is the Hardest-Hit However, it is Oregon’s wood product manufacturing sector that has been hard-hit. Oregon has the largest concentration of blue-collar jobs among most U.S. states, but last week the Department of Employment revealed that the 177,000 manufacturing posts occupied in September were the lowest number since December 2013. Manufacturing jobs have shrunk by 5% in the past year. Oregon Wood Product Manufacturing Employment Chart. President Donald Trump’s controversial tariff hikes have led to a trade war. He says the move is designed to attract more manufacturing jobs to the country, but has instead resulted in retaliatory tariffs from other countries. Tidings Data Snapshot Oregon manufacturing job losses / latest 12 month change 179,400 Manufacturing jobs in Sep 2025 8,700 Manufacturing jobs lost vs Sep 2024 4,800 Jobs lost in computer and electronic products 4,500 Jobs lost in semiconductor components 200 Wood product manufacturing jobs lost Source: Oregon Employment Department, Employment in Oregon (September 2025 release) Dailytidings.com Oregon’s Exports Dropped 19% in the First Nine Months of 2025 Oregon is a trade-dependent state and suffered a 19% drop in exports in the first nine months of 2025. State economists are concerned about the present trend. They say Oregon factory workers clocked fewer man-hours in recent months, another telltale sign of a worrisome manufacturing sector slowdown. Tidings Data Snapshot Oregon manufactured exports 2024 : top categories Total manufactured exports : $31.8B Computer and electronic products : $14.1B Transportation equipment : $5.8B Machinery, except electrical : $4.3B Chemicals : $2.8B Electrical equipment, appliances and components : $654M Other manufactured products : $4.146B Source: USTR State Benefits of Trade / Oregon export category values for 2024 Dailytidings.com Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email