Talent Assessment Highlights Opportunity for Industry Cluster Growth and Upward Mobility for Oregonians
Released at the 2024 Oregon Talent Summit, the Assessment provides analysis of the talent development landscape in Oregon
Salem, OR – The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB) are pleased to present the Oregon Talent Assessment 2024. To achieve equitable prosperity for all Oregonians and drive economic development by equipping Oregon’s businesses and communities with the talent they need for success, the State of Oregon’s HECC and WTDB collaborated with SRI to develop the Assessment. The 2024 Talent Assessment, released and presented at the Oregon Talent Summit in Salem on May 14-15, presents analysis and findings on Oregon’s economic and workforce landscape; skills supply and demand for target occupations; and the competitive position of Oregon’s talent pool and workforce development system.
The Talent Assessment findings emphasize opportunity. Oregon has largely recovered from cyclical labor market challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and has experienced significant growth in increasingly technology-intensive industries that offer opportunities for upward mobility. Despite Oregon’s strong position, the state faces challenges related to population dynamics that include out-migration and a wave of retirements, resulting in current and projected shortages of a trained workforce to keep pace with job demand. This labor shortage is particularly prevalent in health sciences and childcare.
Christiana McFarland, director of SRI’s Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy, the firm that conducted the assessment, says, “This Assessment gives partners a well-informed, actionable roadmap to tackle barriers and address the skills required to provide Oregonians opportunities for upward mobility and to fill roles essential to the economy."
Anne Mersereau, chair of the WTDB and vice president for Human Resources, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Portland General Electric, says, “Collaboration and strategic action are essential to ensure we build equitable pathways for all Oregonians. This will take continued focus on aligning the ecosystems of workforce and education, and supporting talent development for individuals across the span of their careers. We want to thank SRI and the many business partners who participated in this research for lending their knowledge and insights.”
The researchers specifically highlight four industry clusters that offer upward mobility and strong career pathways to workers in Oregon: health sciences, information technology and analytical instruments (much of which is manufacturing); construction; and wood products manufacturing. They also focus on two occupations essential to the functioning of Oregon’s economy: childcare and heavy and tractor-trailer truck driving.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of opportunities and challenges within these industries and occupations, the researchers examined labor market data and workforce and education system coordination, conducted an analysis of job postings, interviewed key partners in Oregon, and implemented a statewide employer survey. The skills analysis offers numerous actionable findings in target industries.
Ben Cannon, executive director of the HECC, says, “We hope that our postsecondary education and training partners look closely at the Assessment findings which shed light on critical industry needs. If we are intentional, we can build solid pathways to high need careers for Oregonians. Whether from an employer training, an apprenticeship, coursework, a credential or a college degree, Oregonians need well-coordinated routes to good-paying jobs and thriving futures.”
The 2024 Oregon Talent Summit, where the Assessment was presented, brought together over 400 participants from business, workforce, community-based organizations, education, labor, economic development, and state leaders on critical issues related to workforce, talent, and skill needs in Oregon. In addition to the Assessment, the two-day event featured three esteemed keynotes speakers among more than 20 topic specific presentations aimed to strengthen alignment and partnership in workforce and education communities, and to share insights on economic development needs in the state. Romanita Hairston, CEO, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, focused on breakthrough thinking and encouraged a multi-perspective approach to talent development. Jayathi Murthy, president, Oregon State University (OSU), put a spotlight on public university talent development, highlighting OSU’s substantial contributions. And Taj Eldridge, managing director, Climate Innovation, Jobs for the Future: JFFLabs focused on skills-based training and hiring for green collar jobs. The Summit featured four tracks of in-depth content: Data and Policy; Industry and Business Engagement; Future Ready Oregon; and Youth Workforce Development. Participants learned more about Future Ready Oregon investments that are advancing a more equitable workforce and talent development system to increase opportunities for a diverse workforce, as well as numerous other topics.
The Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB) is the overall advisory board to the Governor on workforce policy and plans and focuses on equitable prosperity for all Oregonians. Learn more about the HECC WTDB Talent Summit.
SRI is a nonprofit R&D institute headquartered in Silicon Valley.
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