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Oregonians Worked Fewer Than 33 Hours a Week in December as Unemployment Hits Third-Highest in U.S. Top Stories By Lucille McNamara On Mar 15, 2026 Last updated Mar 15, 2026 FILE - Downtown Portland, Oregon | Photo by Seth Smigelski Indicators of a continuously declining labor market in Oregon are reinforced by federal data, which indicate that, on average, Oregonians worked less than 33 hours a week in December. Tidings Data Snapshot Oregon Labor Warning Signs 32.9 Average private workweek in December 2025 33.46 12 month average, lowest since mid 2010 5.2% Oregon unemployment rate in December 9,200 Jobs lost from December 2024 to December 2025 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED / Oregon Office of Economic Analysis March 2026 forecast / Oregon Employment Department Dailytidings.com Not only are these the fewest weekly working hours since the Great Recession in 2010, but they are also worse than the steep drop recorded during the pandemic. The Labor Market Faces an Uncertain Future Coupled with geopolitical conflict, fluctuating tariffs, and a marked decline in consumer confidence, the labor market faces an uncertain future. According to state economists, when employees work a reduced number of hours, it is a clear indication of a slump in business optimism – a fact borne out by the state’s unemployment rate. Oregon’s Unemployment Rate is the Third-Highest Among All States Currently, Oregon’s unemployment rate is the third-highest among all states at 5.2%, with mass layoffs in 2024-25 being a major contributing factor. Although the state’s economic output improved last summer, this growth failed to translate into higher average weekly working hours. Writing in their quarterly forecast last month , economists state that it is unclear if reduced working weeks are a ‘signal of impaired business confidence.’ They state that the metric warrants close attention to see if average weekly hours rebound, or if the decline will continue alongside ‘tepid employment gains.’ The Manufacturing Sector is Hard-Hit by the Slump The slump is hitting manufacturing especially hard, with Oregon work-givers reporting about 1,800 job vacancies in the fall of 2025, roughly 3,600 fewer than for the same period in 2024. In its quarterly job vacancy report for the final quarter of 2025, the Oregon Employment Department reported nearly 14,500 job vacancies in private healthcare and social services, or nearly one-third of all available vacancies. Tidings Data Snapshot Oregon’s Strongest Hiring Lanes Health care support : 8,266 vacancies Transportation and material moving : 5,494 Health care practitioners and technical : 4,756 Food preparation and serving : 4,661 Sales and related : 4,421 Source: Oregon Employment Department QualityInfo 2025 private job vacancy survey by occupation group Dailytidings.com Since last December, Oregon has recorded 85,300 active job postings—a decrease of 11.8% year over year and 8.4% quarter over quarter. The Top 10 Biggest Job Categories in Oregon Rank Occupation Count 1 Healthcare 14,802 2 Nursing 12,513 3 Restaurants 7,999 4 Retail 7,004 5 Business Services 2,964 6 Education 2,901 7 Sales 2,736 8 Maintenance 2,448 9 Transportation 2,417 10 Production 2,163 Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email