The Portland metro area ranks 37 out of a 100 in nationwide scoring of how well local jobs match the qualifications of local residents.
Miles Bryan / OPB
Apprentice programs are attracting older participants (file)
The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution wanted to better understand the causes of unemployment around the nation. So it looked at 100 cities and compared house prices; demand for local products; and how well the education of the local workforce matched the local labor market. Associate fellow Jonathan Rothwell says Portland did well on the educational match.
He explained, "There's certainly room for improvement but it's better than the average for a large metro area. And in Portland's case, the problem is not filling jobs, employers are able to find the skilled workers they need. The real problem is that for less educated workers, there just aren't jobs available."
Rothwell says Portland ranked 67th out of 100 for the lackluster performance of the local housing market over the last few years, and 67th in terms of demand for local products.
