Workforce: Oregon

Overview & Synopsis

This fact sheet states that in 2006, a good education is no longer just a way for an individual to get ahead. It is also the best way a state can get ahead -- and therefore a real economic priority. A state must ensure that all of its citizens have access to a college education. In Oregon, a state recovering from the 2000-03 recession, the demand for well-educated employees will increase over the next several years, and many professional and related positions -- especially in education and computer-related fields -- will require a bachelor's degree or higher. The question for Oregon and other states is how, in a time of tight budgets, to meet the increasing demands on higher education and thereby meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated economy. This fact sheet presents Oregon's occupational outlook and six fast-track fields (registered nurses, teachers, physician assistants, pharmacists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists). This document also describes the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education's Professional Student Exchange Program, which offers students opportunities to train outside of their home state in 14 highly competitive fields (architecture, dentistry, graduate library studies, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, public health, and veterinary medicine). Table 1 presents Oregon's top jobs, while Table 2 presents Oregon Professional Employment Projections, 2004-2014.