Sarah Cunningham, Workforce Analyst Oregon Employment Dept. In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to highlight Southwestern Oregon women’s contributions to the local workforce. In 2017, more than 35,000 jobs in Southwestern Oregon were held by women, representing 48 percent of the region’s employment. Over one-third (36%) of the region’s working women were employed in education and health services. Other large industries of employment include retail trade (14%), leisure and hospitality (13%), public administration, and professional and business services (7% respectively). To learn more about working women in Oregon, check out economist Jessica Nelson’s article “Working Women: Participation and the Earnings Gap.”
