An Oregon Values and Beliefs Center survey found that 62% of the state’s workforce had been influenced by COVID, including moving to remote work (20%), receiving unemployment insurance (18%) and becoming self-employed (12%).
The survey, collected between July 8-16, found the move toward remote work is most prevalent among high-earners, with 34% of six-figure workers changing to at-home work compared to 18% of those making less. Oregonians most prefer a hybrid model, with 41% responding more favorably than the 26% who’d rather work from home and the 19% who want to work on-site.
Over one in four Oregonians quit their job in the last two years in a time dubbed the Great Resignation. Oregon’s quit rate, the percent of people who leave a job in each month, has hovered around 3% over the past four months, levels that were anomalous before the pandemic disrupted the economy.
The common reasons for quitting are disrespectful work environments and low pay, at 43% and 41% respectively. Oregonians are more likely to cite the high cost of living rather than an influx of public benefits in causing the Great Resignation.
“If employers were willing to raise wages to a living level, people would jump at the chance to get those jobs. Since they have a bit of a cushion now, people looking for work can afford to be slightly pickier rather than desperate.” —Deschutes County respondant
“If employers were willing to raise wages to a living level, people would jump at the chance to get those jobs. Since they have a bit of a cushion now, people looking for work can afford to be slightly pickier rather than desperate,” a Deschutes County woman responded in
the survey.
This article appears in Source Weekly August 11, 2022.
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