Both durable goods manufacturing and services employment have been growing steadily in Baker County for the past five years. Nevertheless, in-migration of people to the area has created higher than expected unemployment rates over the past twelve months. Baker City and County have attracted significant business investment over the past decade because of a stable, productive, reliable, and non-unionized workforce. Changes in management of public lands have adversely affected the regional wood products industry, which has presented additional opportunities for new or growing companies. Baker City’s example is the closure of Ellingson Lumber, the county’s largest and oldest (over 100 years) manufacturing employer, in March of 1996. When unemployment rates surged upward, other manufacturers in the area were able to expand their labor force with workers that already had an excellent established work ethic. Marvin Wood Products, a value-added manufacturer, more than doubled their workforce in a 12-month period from 110 employees to over 230 today.

Baker County is designated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as a Labor Surplus Area. The designation allows Baker County businesses a preferential status in bidding on federal procurement contracts.

Sector
Lumber and Wood Products Manufacturing
Other Manufacturing
Construction and Mining
Transportation/Communications/Utilities
Wholesale and Retail Trade
Finance/Insurance/Real Estate
Services
Government

BAKER COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES VERSUS
OREGON AND U.S

Behlen Mfg. Co. of Columbus, NE recently constructed a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility (steel tube welding, painting, rotomold plastics) for their west coast operations. For approximately 50 available positions for start-up (they will reach 100 within two years), they received over 315 applications. Several qualified applicants outside the region expressed interest because of the community’s livability. Behlen has been very satisfied with the quality of people hired.

S & R Industries, a diversified steel fabrication business primarily serving the wood products industry moved to Baker City in 1989 with eight employees. Today, the company employs over 50 and ships a broad array of products to as far away as Thailand. Because of the attractiveness and livability of the area, S & R is able to lure away highly skilled (and higher paid) workers from the Portland, OR; Seattle, WA and Boise, ID metro areas.

The Northwest’s newest historic luxury redevelopment project, the Geiser Grand Hotel in downtown Baker City, is wrapped up over two years and $6 million of investment in 1997. They received over 300 applications for 30 advertised positions, and have been very impressed by the qualifications of many applicants. The developers, who moved from Florida, are extremely pleased with the response, and qualifications of applicants.

One of the primary reasons for this excellent ratio of applicants to available jobs is that Baker City is a highly attractive place to live. Surrounded by world-class recreation opportunities, quality (and safe) schools, Baker City offers a simpler, cleaner life for many former urbanites. As metro areas in Boise, Portland, Seattle and southern California continue to grow, more people are choosing Baker County as a destination for personal and/or business relocation. This trend is creating relatively large increases in population growth (among the highest in Eastern Oregon), which regional experts expect will greatly exceed projections for the next decade.

Wages in eastern Oregon are still among the most reasonable for employers in the entire Pacific Northwest.

COMPARATIVE ENTRY LEVEL HOURLY WAGES
OMPARATIVE ENTRY LEVEL HOURLY WAGES
In Rank of # of Job Orders Placed by Employers

Oregon*

Wash.**

Id***

Occupation
Other Helpers, Laborers, Movers
Other Hand Material Movers
Forest & Conservation Workers
Cooks: Restaurant
Machine Feeders & Offbearers
Other Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing
Wood Sawing Machine Operators
Food Preparation Workers
General Office Clerks
Cashiers
Waiters and Waitresses
Carpenters
Salesperson: Retail
Combined Food/Service Worker
Other Secretaries
Bookkeeping & Accounting Clerks
Truck Drivers-Heavy/Tractor Trailer
Receptionist/Information Clerks
Other Assemblers & Fabricators
Farmworkers

Low
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.50
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00

INCOME STATISTICS

Median Family Income***
(Based on a 4-person family size) Median Family Income***
(Based on a 4-person family size)

BAKER COUNTY 1996 COVERED EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL
(sorted by SIC Code)

580

4,905

8
44
23
6
8
11
10
9
10
9
5
16
18
6
4
7
17
23
16
13
6
33
4
4
26
18
14
7
13
11
15
6
6
23
24
25
11
7
7
21
15
6
5
7
3
3

28
376
90
18
29
164
17
16
30
29
31
49
32
41
22
10
200
184
90
26
58
102
19
64
72
251
35
53
59
209
104
88
7
739
342
368
33
30
38
203
349
31
33
107
4
25

Source: Oregon Employment Division, October, 1998