Workforce

Almost Half of U.S. Companies Can’t Fill Open Positions

Lack of Qualified Applicants Highest Since 2020   Latest Results from The Harris Poll Despite the optimistic hiring outlook for the next year, 91% of U.S. companies expect to face challenges, including 45% of hiring managers who say they have open positions they...

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June 8 CompSAFE Webinar: Workplace Heat and Smoke Rules

Oregon OSHA adopted administrative rules last week to protect employees from excessive heat and smoke. The heat rules include requirements to provide access to shade and water. They also require employers to provide paid breaks of increasing length as heat...

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Inflation and Stopping the ‘Wage/Price’ Spiral

By Katy Brooks, CEO, Bend Chamber This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on May 21, 2022. As the worst impacts of COVID-19 wane, businesses are now contending with new challenges, including labor shortages and inflation. As we have watched inflation rise to...

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College and Career Tech Grads In Demand for Open Jobs 

How They Should Handle Virtual Interviews Entering the Workforce  Latest Results from The Harris Poll    With 86% of U.S. companies looking to hire employees in key departments this year, more than half (52%) say they intend to hire recent college graduates.  This is...

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Weathering the ‘Great Resignation’

It’s everywhere. From the lowest-paying jobs to high-wage earners, employees are walking out the door. And not just in Bend, but people are resigning across the country, causing disruption to businesses and a wave of labor shortages.

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Housing Costs Draining the Labor Pool

Ask an employer in Bend what their largest obstacle is for hiring and you’ll hear a consistent complaint — their workers can’t find an affordable place to live, and they are losing, or can’t hire employees as a result.

Our housing shortage is devastating our available labor pool and as Bendites watch the situation worsen, they are ready for solutions.

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