2020 Oregon Tourism Workforce Assessment

In 2019, Travel Oregon conducted a workforce assessment for the tourism industry in Oregon in order to better un­derstand employment trends, stakeholders’ perceptions of, and experiences in, the industry, and ultimately support the needs of the industry workforce. Travel Oregon hired ECONorthwest and Program and Policy Insight to com­plete this workforce assessment, which was completed in early 2020.

The information collected speaks to conditions in Oregon’s travel and tourism industry during good economic times, though we know much has changed. Through this research, there is an opportunity to assess the effects of the social justice movement, increasingly catastrophic wildfire seasons and the COVID-19 pandemic in order to devise ways to support current workforce needs and address persistent issues, work to create a more equitable tourism industry, and help guide economic recovery efforts following the 2020 wildfire season and COVID-19 pandemic.