Portland employment opportunities abound in ‘The City of Roses’, the largest city in the state of Oregon. Established over 150 years ago, Portland is a thriving and buoyant city located in the lush green Willamette river valley. It is home to the world headquarters of Nike, Inc. and hosts the largest office locations of chip giant Intel Corporation. Rated No. 6 in CNN’s ‘Best Places to Live and Launch’, Portland imbibes a dynamic and professional work environment with a laid-back and progressive social lifestyle and offers the prospective resident a diversified choice of Portland employment picks.
Employment
Portland has a rich blend of numerous employment sectors that collectively contribute to the Portland employment pool.
Traditional industries like Heavy Metals, Machinery & Transportation Equipment and Forest & Nursery Products have been a staple part of the local economy since decades. Precision Castparts Corporation, a Fortune 500 company with annual revenues of over $5 billion, specializing in manufacture of complex metal parts for use in industrial applications, is headquartered in Portland and, despite the economic recession, delivered a record year of sales in 2008.
The Nursery industry is also a significant part of the traditional Portland employment cluster. The Portland metropolitan region, with the largest concentration of commercial nurseries in the nation, accounts for 86% of the $1 billion in annual sales that Oregon’s nursery industry rakes in.
Coexisting with these conventional sectors are several other established and emerging Portland employment categories, including High-Technology, Healthcare and Sporting & Apparel Goods.
Intel Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer of semiconductors, has its largest campuses in the Portland metropolitan area and has positions ranging from Computer Engineering to Anthropological Studies. Active in the Portland employment arena for over 30 years, with 16,000 employees, it’s the region’s largest employer.
Nike Inc., the world’s foremost supplier of sport footwear and apparel, is headquartered in the Portland area and employs over 6,000 people.
The Healthcare industry also has a formidable presence in the Portland employment sector. Oregon Health & Science University, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the NW, Legacy Health System and Providence Health Systems are some of the major healthcare providers that conduct substantial business in Portland, collectively employing over 40,000 people.
It is this diverse mix of employment categories that make Portland employment an advantageous and safe bet. In 2008, Forbes magazine listed Portland as the 4th best city in the nation to weather the recession. With a projected workforce growth of 9.9% over the next five years through 2014, Portland employment is slated for a huge leap.
Employment Resources
Finding a dream job is made especially easy with an extensive Portland employment support network available both online and in-person.
http://www.worksourceoregon.org/ is a very comprehensive site that was developed with the intention of connecting employers with job seekers. It has an online job skill matching application that allows prospective job seekers to match their skills with existing job openings. It provides several links to work-related educational and training resources. It also lists centers where applicants can walk-in and get face-to-face help and access to several career-related resources.
http://jobdango.com/Default.aspx is a popular website catered to local Portland jobs. It lists jobs by categories and also has several handy career tools including resume writing help and interview coaching tips.
An employment agency is another great asset for those seeking Portland employment. The primary focus of an employment agency is to connect the job seeker with an employer that matches their skill set and interests.
One of the local Portland employment agencies is Action Employment Services, Inc. More information about this agency, including current job openings is at http://www.actionemployment.net/
Standard of living
As great as working in Portland is, it’s not just all work. Portland boasts one of the highest standards of living in the nation and routinely figures in various top lists and surveys. A recent 2008 survey by the Monocle magazine listed Portland as the 25th most live-able city in the world.
Housing options catering to every taste and budget abound in the Portland metropolitan area: quaint suburban living in the Bethany district with easy access to downtown and other major Portland employment hubs; trendy apartment lofts in the stylishly revitalized Pearl district; historic Victorian homes in the lively Irvington neighborhood – there’s no shortage of affordable, safe and desirable housing.
One of the unique advantages Portland has over other similar metropolitan areas is its close proximity to outdoor recreation. Nestled less than 100 miles from world-class skiing at Mt. Hood on the east side and another 100 miles from the scenic and rugged Oregon coast on the west side, Portland has a plethora of conveniently accessible outdoor activities to offer.
The Portland Japanese Garden, one of the most authentic and unique Japanese gardens outside of Japan, is a tranquil and invigorating refuge located in the heart of downtown. It’s a popular weekend destination made especially attractive with its adjacency to the neighboring Oregon Zoo and Forest Park.
Home to more microbreweries than any other city in the nation, Portland also offers a range of eclectic cuisines guaranteed to surprise and delight even the most discerning palates. From locally-grown organic vegan fare to exquisite haute cuisine and everything in between, the options are delectable and endless.
Portland prides itself on transportation options as well. The award-winning TriMet system provides convenient and affordable transportation links to all major Portland employment hubs and is a vital part of the region’s transportation infrastructure.
Portland administers first-class healthcare, with top-rated hospitals like the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center consistently figuring in nationwide Top 100 lists.
Conclusion
With its diversified base of lucrative employment opportunities, Portland is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for job seekers. With a stable and rewarding mix of traditionally active employment sectors, emerging industries and well-established high-technology jobs, Portland is poised for aggressive economic growth in the coming years.
High standard of living, excellent recreational opportunities, top-rated healthcare, affordable housing, an eclectic art and culture scene and an abundance of employment resources are only a few of the reasons making Portland employment the right choice for the prospective job seeker.
