Salem’s economy is booming and has great forward-looking demographics. Job growth in recent years is across all industries and is the strongest the region has seen in 25 years. However, like the rest of the state and much of the nation, housing affordability is a big concern. I have given a couple local presentations in recent months, and will be focusing on housing today at a SEDCOR Economic Business Forum lunch. Below I have combined our office’s Salem-specific work with a few of the most important statewide economic trends. These slides focus on many of the same topics and issues we regularly discuss in our forecast documents and here on the blog, however with a local twist for those interested.
Previously I posted slides from a Corvallis and Albany presentation I did last year. In the near future I will share recent work I have done for Bend and Eugene as well. It should also be noted that our office’s regional work is best thought of as a complement to the regional work done on a daily basis by our friends at the Oregon Employment Department. Here in the mid-valley, see the articles and presentations that regional employment economist Pat O’Connor had done recently, along with the local workforce analyst Will Summers.
