Leadership at Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries had longstanding structural problems and management gaps that contributed to backlogs and delays in wage claim processing, according to an audit released Nov. 20 by the Secretary of State's Audits Division.

BOLI has struggled for years with a significant backlog of wage claims and civil rights complaints . Lawmakers during the 2025 session increased BOLI's budget by 30%, or $22 million. The agency ended its income threshold for wage claims on Oct. 1, a move intended to address the growing backlog of cases.

The audit report acknowledged the legislature's allocation but noted that Oregonians are still waiting years to resolve serious issues like unpaid wages and civil rights violations.

"Poor management and lack of adequate resou

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