Jobs in health care are expected to grow in Oregon over the next decade. On Aug. 27, 2024, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong shakes hands with educator Irynne Padua at Benson Polytechnic High School, a school that offers a range of career-technical courses including in health care.
Anna Lueck / OPB
If you’re considering a career in health care, Oregon may have a job for you.
Oregon’s private health care and social assistance sector is expected to add 40,400 jobs over the next decade, making it the fastest growing industry according to the latest projections from the state’s Employment Department. Overall, the state’s total employment is projected to increase by a modest 140,600 jobs, or 6%, by 2034.
“Nearly all broad sectors of Oregon’s economy are expected to add jobs over the decade,” Sarah Cunningham, Oregon’s projection economist, said in a video news release. “The exception is federal government, which is projected to see a slight decline in jobs. Private health care and social assistance is expected to add the most jobs by 2034.”
That represents a 13% growth rate, Cunningham said, meaning three out of every 10 new jobs added will be in health care and social assistance. Longer life expectancies, Oregon’s aging population and long-term population growth are all expected to contribute to the growing need for health care workers in the state.
The professional and business services sector is expected to add 25,900 jobs, or expand by10%. Within the sector, demand for architects and engineers is expected to go up at the fastest rate, followed by jobs in the computer services field. The construction sector is projected to add 11,600 jobs, also representing a growth of 10%.
While all large economic sectors — barring the federal government — are expected to see job growth, some individual industries will see declines. Certain jobs are expected to be replaced by more automation, she said, such as data entry positions, bank tellers and other jobs with rapidly changing technology.
“Some specific industries are expected to have bigger losses,” Cunningham said. “They include newspaper and book publishers, business support services and paper manufacturing.”
All parts of the state will add jobs, although growth will be slower in rural areas of Oregon.
“The two regions projected to grow at the fastest rates are the Portland tri-county area and Central Oregon at 7% growth each,” Cunningham said. “All other broad regions of state are expected to grow at or slightly below the statewide rate of 6%.”
