This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.

Oregon’s lagging economy had one hot spot last fiscal year: State government’s workforce grew 4%.

Whether Oregonians find that good or bad, almost all will agree the news about the state’s manufacturing sector is dreadful: Jobs fell by 5%, continuing a yearslong slump, according to recent state data.

Oregon Employment Department economist Gail Krumenauer has detailed the range of manufacturing sectors that suffered job losses in the year ended July 30, 2025, everything from construction (down 900) to retail businesses (down 3,900) to Oregon’s large, well-known frozen fruits and vegetables processing—potatos, berries, green beans—down 1,000 jobs.

On the flip side, Krumenauer said, thousand

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