Worksystems

10/16/2026

One of our strategic goals is to "Build a Better System." But what does that look like in practice? Our 2025-26 annual report tells part of the story.

Last year, WorkSource Portland Metro served 80,878 people, a 27.3% increase from the previous year. This reflects growing demand from people experiencing layoffs, career transitions, and economic uncertainty.

For employers, it also represents a significant pool of workers, job seekers, career changers, and people building new skills to meet evolving talent needs.

As unemployment rose across our region, Worksystems helped lead the regional response. Through the WorkSource Portland Metro Layoff Transition Team, we coordinated general and employer-specific layoff assistance sessions that connected more than 900 workers to unemployment insurance, job search assistance, training opportunities, health coverage options, and other community resources. The goal is simple: help people transition as quickly as possible into quality jobs with living wages, benefits, and opportunities for advancement.

One of the sectors hit hardest was advanced high-tech manufacturing. After major layoffs affected thousands of workers, Worksystems partnered with Washington County and regional partners to organize a Job & Resource Career Expo that connected more than 1,300 job seekers with 50+ employers recruiting for nearly 2,000 openings.

We also secured a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor National Dislocated Worker Grant, creating new resources to help laid-off high-tech workers stay connected to career opportunities in Oregon while supporting employers preparing for the sector's recovery. As hiring begins to rebound, those partnerships and programs are helping employers reconnect with skilled talent.

This is what "Building a Better System" is all about: bringing partners together, aligning resources, and ensuring our workforce system can respond quickly when our region needs it most.

Learn more in our annual report:https://worksystems.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WS-Annual-Report-PY25-FINAL.pdf

10/15/2026

ICYMI: The 2026 State of the Workforce Report examines the demographic, economic, and labor market trends shaping the future of the Greater Portland Region.

The report indicates slowing population growth, rising affordability pressures, workforce shortages, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence as challenges, while outlining strategies to strengthen the regional talent pipeline and support long-term economic prosperity.

📉 Dig into the data athttps://worksystems.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/State-of-the-Workforce-2026.pdf

Produced by the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative (Clackamas Workforce Partnership, Workforce Southwest Washington, and Worksystems).

10/14/2026

Earlier today, we joined OMEP – Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership to celebrate their 30th anniversary! 🎉

OMEP has been a longtime partner in workforce development and have supported Oregon manufacturing growth for decades. Congratulations on this milestone!

10/12/2026

Earlier today, we celebrated the partners across our youth workforce system who help create opportunities for young people throughout our region.

In summer 2026 alone, SummerWorks sponsored more than 230 interns at nearly 120 worksites. The interns worked a total of 22,000 hours and earned $380,000, thanks in part to funding from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and TriMet.

Now, we're sharing a story that shows that impact in action.
A new article from the City of Portland highlights how SummerWorks connects young people with paid work experiences that help them build skills, confidence, and professional networks while supporting local employers.

The story follows two Portland Community College students who spent the summer interning with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, gaining hands-on experience while contributing to meaningful projects. It also highlights the important role employers and mentors play in helping young people explore careers and develop job-ready skills.

Read the full story here:

Portland employers team up with Worksystems to provide mentorship for interns -- at no cost to them. Interns do meaningful work, gain valuable experience -- and get paid. The City supports the program to grow the workforce of tomorrow. As Michael Scott would say, it's win - win - WIN.

10/12/2026

Investing in our youth strengthens our communities and builds the future talent pipeline employers need. At Worksystems, we connect young people to career coaching, skill development, paid work experiences, and early exposure to career pathways.

But we don't do that work alone.

On Friday, partners from community-based organizations, government, education, and local businesses came together to celebrate the success of SummerWorks, our longstanding work experience program, and the broader network of youth programs that expand opportunity across our region.

Special thanks to Emily Stumpf of Schoolhouse Supplies, Jim Cooper of Neighborhood House, and Boyd Urban of Canary Marketing. All three have hosted SummerWorks interns, with some participants going on to become employees, and shared firsthand the value young people bring to their organizations.

Tiffani Penson from the City of Portland also spoke about the importance of helping young people build job-ready skills early and explore a variety of careers and experiences. You never know what will create a spark.

As a longtime SummerWorks funder and partner, the City hosts interns across multiple bureaus and has helped create opportunities for young people for many years.

Thank you to the many champions who make this work possible. Together, we're helping more young people discover their potential and take meaningful steps toward a successful future.

Learn more about how we support youth at https://worksystems.org/supporting-youth/.

10/09/2026

Manufacturing Makes Oregon! That was the name of one of the panel discussions at the Portland Business Journal Manufacturing Summit & Awards yesterday, and we agree.

The discussions focused on the opportunities, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of manufacturing, featuring a fireside chat with leaders from A-dec Inc. and LAIKA Studios, along with conversations around navigating economic uncertainty and the critical role manufacturing plays in Oregon's economy.

Thank you to Candace Beeke for having us and Portland Community College as guests at your table and for the opportunity to connect with the manufacturers that shape our region.

Congratulations to all of the award winners, especially those in our Multnomah and Washington County region, and neighboring Clackamas County: BENCHMADE, Bridgetown Mushrooms, Ceek Women's Health, Gunderson Marine & Iron, LaCrosse Footwear Incorporated/Danner Boots, QB Fabrication & Welding Inc., Ranger Chocolate Co., Skyline Sheet Metal, Inc, Willamette Technical Fabricators, LLC, LAIKA, and Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc.

10/08/2026

Yesterday, the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative (Clackamas Workforce Partnership, Workforce Southwest Washington, and Worksystems) welcomed employers, policymakers, workforce leaders, economic development partners, public sector workers, and community stakeholders to Meeting Workforce Needs, a candid conversation about the workforce challenges shaping our economy and the solutions needed to address them.

We're already hearing from attendees who left with new ideas and a renewed commitment to strengthening collaboration and advocating for meaningful policy changes to improve the state of the workforce. ✨

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this important conversation:

Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall for moderating and keeping the discussion focused on practical, solutions-oriented dialogue.

Liza Morehead, PhD for sharing the latest findings from the 2026 State of the Workforce Report and grounding the conversation in data and regional trends. (ICYMI, read the report here: https://worksystems.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/State-of-the-Workforce-2026.pdf)

Our employer panelists—Tina Pham (Pham Construction Group), Rachel Russo (BENCHMADE), and Riikka Salonen (BCT Partners)—for sharing their perspectives on talent needs, workforce challenges, and what's working to attract, develop, and retain workers.

And policymakers—Commissioner Diana Helm (Clackamas County), Brendan Finn (representing Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon from Multnomah County), Pamela Treece (Washington County) and Oregon State Representative Dacia Grayber—for responding to the actions and investments needed to strengthen our regional talent pipeline. Your willingness to listen, collaborate, and mobilize is critical to building a more competitive and resilient regional economy.

The conversation doesn't end here. We look forward to continuing this work together.

10/07/2026

What does the future of workforce development look like in the Portland metro region? In this Portland Business Journal Executive Insights conversation, Worksystems CEO Miriam Halliday joins Publisher Candace Beeke to discuss the partnerships, investments, and strategies helping connect people to opportunity and employers to talent.

👀 Watch for insights on the region’s evolving workforce needs and collaborations underway to support a strong, competitive economy.

In this edition of Executive Insights, Miriam Halliday, chief executive officer of Worksystems, shares a leadership perspective on building stronger connections among employers, workers and community partners while expanding economic opportunity across the region.

10/06/2026

"This year marks both a transition for Worksystems and an important moment for our region." - Miriam Halliday, CEO.

Our 2025-26 Annual Report highlights how Worksystems is working to connect people to quality jobs, help employers find and develop talent, and coordinate a workforce system that responds to the needs of our community, which have never been higher. Last year WorkSource Portland Metro served more than 80,000 people, a 27.3% increase over the previous year.

"Our strength is not any single program or funding source. It is our ability to connect the pieces into a system that responds to what our region needs."

Read the report: https://worksystems.org/3d-flip-book/worksystems-py25-annual-report/

10/02/2026

🏭 Today is Manufacturing Day! 🎉

Advanced Manufacturing continues to be a cornerstone of the metro area’s economy and a source of quality jobs for workers across the greater Portland region. In 2025, Semiconductor Processing Technicians alone accounted for more than 6,100 jobs in Multnomah and Washington Counties, with workers earning a median hourly wage of $32.63.

In 2022, the industry was growing fast. We brought together Portland Community College, Washington County, the City of Hillsboro, and employers to launch the Quick Start to Semiconductor training, a 10-day "boot camp" that creates immediate access to entry-level jobs.

"Partnering with Quick Start has given Lam Research Tualatin Manufacturing direct access to motivated, well-prepared candidates who are ready to contribute from day one," says Brian Clay of Lam Research. The program was a win-win for both employers and jobseekers.

Then the market changed. Between 2024 and 2026, the Portland-metro area's high-tech manufacturing sector lost more than 4,600 jobs. Rather than disbanding the Quick Start program and its expert staff, partners mobilized to support impacted workers through job fairs, career coaching, and training opportunities.

Now, the outlook is beginning to improve. The Quick Start “boot camp” is ramping back up to support the hiring needs of a broad group of employers, including Lam, Tosoh Quartz, Inc., Exentec, Applied Materials, Analog Devices, and Siltronic AG.

This is what's possible when we intentionally invest in workforce development.

Our own Casey Barnard takes a deeper dive into why workforce infrastructure matters in every economy in this Portland Business Journal article:

The economy is cyclical. Industries grow, contract, and grow again. A robust regional workforce system helps businesses and workers navigate those shifts and build resilience—but that capacity cannot be created overnight.