Oregon Action

Job Gap

We believe working people should be paid enough to live in dignity and security, without having to make impossible choices between food for their families and paying the rent. When employers pay less than a living wage their profits are subsidized by the rest of us through income security supports such as food stamps, housing subsidies and health care assistance provided to their workers. Government should encourage businesses to pay a living wage that recognizes the contributions their workers make to their success.

Key 2007 findings for Oregon are:

The living wage for a single adult is $11.38 an hour. This is based on what is needed to meet basic needs and provides some ability to deal with emergencies and plan ahead. The living wage for a single adult with two children is $23.40 an hour.
41 percent all job openings pay less than the
$11.38 an hour living wage for a single adult. Over
three quarters of all job openings, 84 percent, pay
less than the $23.40 an hour living wage for a single
adult with two children.
For each job opening that pays at least $11.38 an
hour, the living wage for a single adult, there are
five job seekers on average. For each job opening
that pays at least $23.40 an hour, the living wage
for a single adult with two children, there are 20 job
seekers on average.

The report calculates a basic family budget for different families structures in the Northwest. Based on this "living wage" the study then estimates the number and proportion of current jobs that provide a sufficient wage to support an individual or a family´s basic needs without relying on public assistance.

Previous studies in 1999 and 2001 were conducted with the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (NWFCO) and the Northwest Policy Center.