A June 22, 2012 Portland Business Journal article by Andy Giegerich, “
No rural recovery in Oregon,” uses the Oregon Business Plan job creation goals (25,000 jobs per year through 2020) as a benchmark to show that rural communities continue to struggle with dramatic unemployment numbers despite the recovery seen in the Portland metro area. This high level of rural unemployment may keep job creation to just 15,000 in 2012. The unemployment rates in rural areas of Oregon are largely due to the loss of federal timber payments and the impact of the 2008-09 recession on wood products companies. Implementing the Oregon Business Plan forestry, water, energy and regulatory initiatives would provide a significant boost to rural employment in Oregon.