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Wages not enough for most
Fewer than two-thirds of jobs in Oregon pay enough for a single adult to meet living expenses and the percentage is lower for adults with kids, a report asserts
by Eric Florip | News Editor
College students might not be the only ones struggling to make enough money to pay for expenses without some form of financial support.
Only 63% of all jobs in Oregon pay enough for a single adult to cover the living wage for that situation - which is $11.38 per hour, 40 hours per week, according to a recent report from the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations.
With the addition of children to the equation, the discrepancy is larger. For an adult with one child in Oregon, the cost of living requires an $18.48 hourly wage, the report said. Only 31% of the same jobs cover that expense.
The study, performed throughout the Northwest in collaboration with the public interest group Oregon Action, includes data from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Of those, the report lists Oregon as having the highest cost of living in every category.
Clayborn Collins, president of Oregon Action's Portland chapter, said there is also a resulting job gap in the state, meaning there are more people seeking jobs than there are positions to fill. All of these trends, he said, are somewhat related to the larger economic climate in the state.
"I think that as inflation goes up, the job gap gets wider," Collins said. "The living wage goes up."
For college students, finding a job can be even more difficult, as employers are often turned off by a constantly changing schedule to accommodate.
University sophomore Elizabeth Shackelford, who landed a job at the University Bookstore last year, said many of her friends were not as fortunate as she was in looking for work while taking classes.
"I was actually pretty lucky," Shackelford said. "I found a job here because it's pretty flexible, and it's close to campus."
Shackelford said some students, such as art and architecture majors, have to incur extra expenses for supplies during class projects.
"It can be tough going through school and trying to support yourself," she said.
Only 63% of all jobs in Oregon pay enough for a single adult to cover the living wage for that situation - which is $11.38 per hour, 40 hours per week, according to a recent report from the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations.
With the addition of children to the equation, the discrepancy is larger. For an adult with one child in Oregon, the cost of living requires an $18.48 hourly wage, the report said. Only 31% of the same jobs cover that expense.
The study, performed throughout the Northwest in collaboration with the public interest group Oregon Action, includes data from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Of those, the report lists Oregon as having the highest cost of living in every category.
Clayborn Collins, president of Oregon Action's Portland chapter, said there is also a resulting job gap in the state, meaning there are more people seeking jobs than there are positions to fill. All of these trends, he said, are somewhat related to the larger economic climate in the state.
"I think that as inflation goes up, the job gap gets wider," Collins said. "The living wage goes up."
For college students, finding a job can be even more difficult, as employers are often turned off by a constantly changing schedule to accommodate.
University sophomore Elizabeth Shackelford, who landed a job at the University Bookstore last year, said many of her friends were not as fortunate as she was in looking for work while taking classes.
"I was actually pretty lucky," Shackelford said. "I found a job here because it's pretty flexible, and it's close to campus."
Shackelford said some students, such as art and architecture majors, have to incur extra expenses for supplies during class projects.
"It can be tough going through school and trying to support yourself," she said.
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