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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 27, 2005 Rogue Valley Medical Center registered nurse Melinda Polk checks on patient Thelma J. Roberts, 80, during the evening shift. Jobs in the health care industry have tripled in the last 30 years. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell JOB SHIFT Health care is now the county’s No. 1 industry; but the labor pool isn’t keeping up By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune After graduating from nursing school in Lewiston, Idaho, in the spring, 22-year-old Melinda Polk had her pick of employers and hospitals. Accolades for Medford and its two hospitals from extended family members inspired the registered nurse to accept a position at Rogue Valley Medical Center. "It really seems like Medford has everything I need," the Washington state native said. "I grew up in the desert. I’m not used to seeing all the trees, so I’ve enjoyed that, too." Since the 1970s, the number of jobs in the health care industry has nearly tripled in Jackson County as the population has grown, especially among retirees. "More people are moving here because this is a desirable place to live, which has boosted the demand for the service and health care industry," said Guy Tauer, Oregon Employment Department regional economist. Advertisement The growth also has enlivened the retail and construction trades, giving way to a more diversified economy previously dominated by agriculture, manufacturing and logging, Tauer said. The health care industry now provides the most jobs to the county’s economy. Yet, the pool of qualified workers in the county has not kept up with the health care boom, Tauer said. Officials with RVMC and Providence Medford Medical Center said they are forced to seek many of their most skilled employees, such as Polk, from outside Southern Oregon and the state. "Many hourly positions at a lower level may be filled locally without too much trouble, but when you start getting into nursing, pharmacists and doctors, then you’re looking all across the country," said Ross Jesswein, recruitment specialist with RVMC. The pool is limited in other industries as well, as high housing prices drive away potential workers, he said. As baby boomers retire, there will be a larger gap in the work force, he said. The real estate market impacts both low- and high-wage employees, employers said. Lower-wage workers tend to move out of the area or obtain second jobs. The high prices can also discourage employees in the higher-paying health care industry from moving in, Jesswein said. Recruiters focus on drawing employees from areas that have a higher cost of living, such as San Francisco, he said. The new population brings new buying power, opening the way for more clothing shops, furniture stores and new construction, Tauer said. The decline in timber and manufacturing has pushed many former workers into jobs in the bustling service and retail industry, which generally pays less, said Bob Smith, human resources manager at Boise Cascade Corp. "The dilemma for the region is the jobs that come in a service economy don’t pay as well," Smith said. Growth has not contributed to the decline of the timber industry, he said. A decrease in federal timber land available for harvest and a shrinking labor pool due to the high cost of housing have played larger roles in diminishing the industry, he said. Population growth generally benefits the industry, as it increases the demand for wood for houses. At the same time, the demand for housing chips away at the industry’s labor pool. "The additional demand for housing has driven up real estate, which makes it difficult for young people to buy homes," Smith said. "It drives away the workers we would attempt to attract." Agriculture has ebbed as a result of growth, following a national trend. Since 1969, half of the acres previously used for agriculture has gone to other purposes, such as development. "Farming is a dying trade around here," said farmer Dave Westerberg of Ashland. "The economic motivation just isn’t there. For most farmers, it’s just a hobby." Young people usually can’t afford to buy the property needed for farming, and profits remain low if they exist at all, said Phil VanBuskirk, administrator for the Southern Oregon Extension Service. Even among the region’s most popular products — pears and wine grapes — the market has remained static, threatening the survival of some orchards and vineyards, said Jon Meadors, superintendent of Hillcrest Orchard in Medford. The hope for the future of agriculture lies in the demand for local products, Meadors said. "In that way, growth has given us renewed hope," he said. The county is also seeing its share of new privately owned businesses. Newcomers are attracted to the county’s moderate size, access to an airport, proximity to Interstate 5 and its midway location between Portland and San Francisco, Tauer said. "We are filling a niche," he said. "People know Southern Oregon is open for business." Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail JOB SHIFT ">[email protected] . Where has our valley grown? The population of Jackson County has doubled since 1970. This four-day series, which began Monday, highlights how growth has changed the way we live. Today: The economy has become more diversified, but the high cost of housing is driving away potential workers. Wednesday: The sense of small-town safety has given way to urban caution as crime rates and traffic congestion worsen. Thursday: What will the valley be like in another 30 years? What residents think about our changing economy "On the plus side I see that we have an amazing and extraordinary wealth of health service facilities. For a community our size ... the presence of three first-class medical centers, with all of the ancillary facilities that have sprung around them, is a real plus. Most larger communities would be overjoyed to have what we have." Dave Baker, Medford "I am so sorry to see agriculture, as always, taking a back seat to urbanization. To effectively farm or ranch, not only does one need adequate land for raising the crops or animals, but the auxiliary businesses that sell the products needed during the growing cycle or to process the harvest. Those are closing as farmland shrinks. "People say they enjoy being in a more rural environment, but do nothing to maintain it." — Debbie Miller, Ashland "People who lament the loss of pristine ... farmland don't understand one of the basics of economics: Market activity selects the highest use for resources. Farmland wouldn't become tract housing unless society, acting through the market, made it so. If its best use really was farming, that's what it would get used for through the market process." — Lee Morris, Medford "It's changed since the 1980s, when we couldn't breathe with all the timber industry/private woodstove smoke in the air. Our water is good. Wells are still full of water. I love now having retail shops, places to eat, sacred places of worship, amusements galore!" — Patti Iverson, Medford "The benefits of increased population in the Rogue Valley are limited to real estate agents and the larger retailers. "The physical costs are obvious: heavier traffic, increased air pollution, and greater strain on the infrastructure requiring additional public expenditure." — Chris Crawford, Jacksonville Comments were e-mailed to the Mail Tribune Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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