Eastern Oregon Projected to Add 9,300 Jobs by 2030
November 7, 2022According to the Oregon Employment Department’s 2020-2030 Industry Employment Projections, the Eastern Oregon area (Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa counties) is projected to grow from 78,800 jobs to 88,100 jobs by 2030, a growth rate of 12%. The projections point to high job growth between 2020 and 2030 and account for recovery from low employment levels in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated recession.
The industries projected to add the most jobs in Eastern Oregon are government; leisure and hospitality; private education and health services; natural resources and mining; and trade, transportation, and utilities. No major private industry sectors are projected to decline. Government job growth is projected in local sectors and state government. Federal government jobs are projected to be essentially unchanged.
Leisure and Hospitality to Grow Fastest
With a growth rate of 29%, the leisure and hospitality sector is projected to grow at the fastest rate by 2030 in Eastern Oregon. This makes sense as leisure and hospitality was the sector hit hardest by the pandemic recession and much of the projected growth is recovery of lost jobs. Information (+23%), other services (+17%), construction (+15%), and natural resources and mining (+14%) round out the top five fastest growing sectors in Eastern Oregon.
