[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6210289,"mediaKeyId","3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae","parentId",3720478,"title","Consultants say Oregon needs roughly 13,000 new construction workers a year to meet housing goals; apprenticeship-ratio change flagged as contentious","audioSeconds",3870,"startMs",4560,"endMs",3874600,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae&start=4&end=3874","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae/thumbnail_4560.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6210289/Oregon/Consultants-say-Oregon-needs-roughly-13000-new-construction-workers-a-year-to-meet-housing-goals-apprenticeship-ratio-change-flagged-as-contentious","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210289-73639e9284d56195cba7460d3f67fe7d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773638805&Signature=EmeV5pckPowYaBqhXShlb0y9vCQ4aKxA-gD-1DXIz~0bGp6KWa8wXLOovoBx28qbNirtrIWhs7ZbdZz5Yu7H6-PNMoYZtuFSV6fPDy991bk96YWvWZLU2JDOqSCndH0XTaO7x4Q1tsR75xkj816RPLE44iuLlqQ0p--lvwMa7cOu5K~qXFvyvwLYVIJePa5K0Fy5mz4r0WIkNpdHmMejnsxwuitlIThvNh-zwrKtxa4z5vS8WXKG6x6wv5Cu92gekPDKeKqAGmthWr7zIyHEjmVAj6FGQGT1GAYK0qoUAaFH0u1N5k6PvfEjJAPD3OKs0GtyGV1wrXMEMExzx7X82w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-06-04T13:30:00Z","article","Good afternoon. At a June 4 informational hearing of the Senate Housing and Development Committee, Jade Aguilar, partner and project director at Echo Northwest, told the committee the firm's recent assessment found large workforce gaps in Oregon's residential construction sector. \"We would require about 13,000 additional workers every year from 2028 to 2034,\" Aguilar said, describing the figure as tied to the state ramp-up needed to meet the governor's housing production objectives.

The report combined census and NAICS data, a 92-company industry survey and interviews with community colleges, apprenticeship programs, workforce boards, trade unions and planning and permitting staff. The study found residential construction employment in Oregon grew about 9% annually from 2013 to 2023, compared with roughly 2% for statewide employment overall, and that about half of residential construction employees work in firms of one to five people.

Why it matters: without more workers the state will struggle to sustain an accelerated housing production plan. \"Apprenticeship programs\" and employee referrals were named as the most reliable pathways for producing skilled workers; respondents also cited retirements and insufficient on‑the‑job training opportunities when construction activity is low.

Echo Northwest’s headline recommendations for the committee included: revise state licensing to expand multi-skilled residential construction licenses; improve interstate reciprocity for tradespeople licensed elsewhere; coordinate data collection across agencies such as the Oregon Department of Education, the Bureau of Labor and Industries, the Housing and Energy Council (HEC), and the Oregon Employment Department; and consider limited, time-bound changes to apprentice-to-journey ratios in specific rural trades or occupations.

Aguilar described the ratio recommendation as politically sensitive. \"There’s a strong feeling from folks in the trade unions that this should not be modified,\" she said, while also noting that other states have implemented targeted adjustments without reported safety spikes.

The report also emphasized acute shortages of building code professionals — inspectors, plans examiners and permit technicians — and recommended pilot programs and data sharing to address that gap.

The report is included in the hearing materials; the committee did not take formal action at the hearing. Chair Pham closed by thanking witnesses and saying the committee would continue the discussion in the interim and in a possible short session.

Ending: Committee members and testimony indicated broad agreement on the scale of the problem and on the need for multiple coordinated solutions, but they also flagged apprenticeship-ratio changes as a politically and operationally contentious policy choice that would require narrow, time-limited pilots and further review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee On Housing and Development 06/04/2025 1:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","At a June 4 informational hearing, Jade Aguilar of Echo Northwest told the Senate Housing and Development Committee the state would need roughly 13,000 additional construction workers per year from 2028 to 2034 to support an ambitious housing ramp-up tied to the governor’s production goals.","taxTitle","Housing and Development, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17873,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210275,"Unions say shortage is of good-paying jobs, not workers; they oppose lowering apprenticeship ratios and urge living wages and streamlined permitting",488,2932420,3421290,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae&start=2932&end=3421","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae/thumbnail_2932420.jpg","/articles/6210275/Oregon/Unions-say-shortage-is-of-good-paying-jobs-not-workers-they-oppose-lowering-apprenticeship-ratios-and-urge-living-wages-and-streamlined-permitting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210275-18a1ebafbfe761fe76130d6fed7b8279/orig.mp4?Expires=1773638805&Signature=Hawq8kkSv5yc98y7HIkIPHZK8AdoiP04aHmVR0AxplRE5rI4JbSlNu69gK24U986cEBdk439ufICWbLe~o6UyqIrgANgKddy-ZI39lH2Zg-QNtZLEWLL2hccs66k6kKvM6PAWqzsljrmjuDwKR21~mD4Nng5DOFWKq7Dk-RU3Tba-eWIH7v7-FTA22jNZ76aav1TcozKSdyPpJwX~HSZ9tH-2EG0zgfNhf-dHN3i1-Mea2SJNk9x-OdnzfDr~ev6P7cZSrhyxBANJ2nblzv4mks2xUmYQw5ob5BEJcZgUrYCesMbCCFFHh2-~UF3vCK6hbX1mfzyD5yYtgO7vwI96g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Union representatives and some contractors gave sharply different diagnoses of Oregon’s residential construction labor situation at the June 4 informational hearing.

\"With the carpenters union, we are actually seeing the opposite,\" said Trampus Simmons of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters. \"All of our apprenticeships are fully filled. We have a waiting list for people that want to join the apprenticeship.\" Simmons argued the industry faces a shortage of good-paying jobs and that low pay and unstable schedules push workers into public assistance programs. \"We need to increase wages and benefits in the residential sector,\" he said.

Robert Westerman, business manager for IBEW Local 932, also defended existing ratios and apprenticeship standards. \"These ratios ensure that apprentices receive proper supervision during their on the job training hours,\" Westerman said, adding that ratios vary by trade and are normally set through collective bargaining and apprenticeship committees, not by legislative fiat.

Both unions argued that weakening ratios would reduce training quality and safety, and urged lawmakers to couple any acceleration of housing with labor standards such as prevailing wage, project labor agreements, or community benefit agreements.

Contractor perspectives were mixed. Morris Ramming, owner of O'Neil Construction Group and related firms, told the committee, \"We do not have a workforce shortage,\" and described construction as a profession that requires high standards and training. Ramming urged maintaining high training standards and warned against reducing journeyperson supervision that helps produce skilled workers.

Other witnesses had advocated limited, time‑bound ratio adjustments in specific rural trades to expand apprenticeship access; unions rejected broad legislative changes and recommended investments that would increase pay and job quality instead.

Ending: The hearing left clear differences in diagnosis — unions say the problem is lack of living-wage jobs and call for stronger labor standards, while some education and rural advocates continue to press for targeted ratio or age adjustments to expand entry points in underserved regions.","Union witnesses told the Senate committee their apprenticeship programs are full and argued the state should raise wages and use incentives rather than weaken training ratios; contractors offered a contrasting view urging attention to pipeline expansion.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210280,"Central and Southern Oregon witnesses cite infrastructure and CTE funding gaps as barriers to building homes",0,2389760,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae&start=2389&end=2389","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae/thumbnail_2389760.jpg","/articles/6210280/Oregon/Central-and-Southern-Oregon-witnesses-cite-infrastructure-and-CTE-funding-gaps-as-barriers-to-building-homes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210280-9f43382bf2b36d5b677c855241ba2e87/orig.mp4?Expires=1773638805&Signature=BfA1GAsNbheam2ffrZCdc4TmPOMHQ9i6GJRFHjVFNCzbswxN9Ds2RkAea1~GIy4pPDkuhGBZzb8FywqvoOKU906n1f5q1vBND8w74uuTMy1-gTAT0cEvD0cvLWz~dd-jGy~egVW6YEH-y75CP1-8UfKZLDOomKjqefOmYamdw0AdWtGFzd0byJFogJgPQny~EDfYz~ZfjXcpcxgGhVEEPYSC3ZOoprGCpCOXhtb59~06xPzHbtZ4-n10g-WkLJ15TuX~W37f-uBhuJRAyqDMD65plOjGIE~HpiAN~W2q8zSgGv0vv35KvW1A3fxSXcX4kpeqq9GMnwqiW61gZOseLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Stakeholders representing Central and Southern Oregon told the Senate Housing and Development Committee June 4 that workforce shortages intersect with infrastructure constraints and uneven education funding, which together impede housing development outside the Portland region.

\"In order for Oregon to successfully build 36,000 new homes every year for 10 years, we need sustained statewide investments in and legislative solutions for our residential construction workforce,\" said Jen Kovitz, community engagement and government affairs manager for Hayden Homes and a member of the housing production workforce steering committee. Kovitz told the committee that construction shortages include framers, code professionals, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and energy-efficiency trades; she said immigrants make up about 14% of Oregon’s construction workforce and that 7% of the industry are undocumented, adding that fear of enforcement is removing workers from the labor pool.

Mark Griffith, director of apprenticeships at Klamath Community College, described local barriers including dry wells, lack of sewer and public water, and land-use constraints that block development in rural and fringe areas. \"Homes with failed or unreliable wells are nearly impossible to resell,\" Griffith said, adding that high infrastructure costs make affordable housing projects particularly difficult.

Both witnesses urged expanded, sustained funding for construction CTE and pre-apprenticeship programs in high schools and community colleges, stronger dual‑credit pathways that give students a year of credit toward apprenticeships, and employer incentives to take on apprentices. Proposed policy changes included allowing 16‑year‑olds with BOLI‑approved safety certifications to work on active residential job sites, a 2:1 apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio in rural and frontier counties, lowering the apprenticeship entry age to 16, and leveraging local workforce boards to deliver regional training.

Kovitz and Griffith also criticized parts of the Echo Northwest study’s outreach: they said the study relied on long written surveys and hour-long Zoom calls that were difficult for tradespeople on site, and they recommended multilingual outreach, on-site visits and participant stipends for future research to better reach small and non‑English speaking contractors.

Ending: Both Central and Southern Oregon witnesses urged legislative and funding action rather than more study, arguing that regional pilots, sustained CTE funding and infrastructure investment are needed to unlock buildable land and expand the apprenticeship pipeline.","Speakers from Central and Southern Oregon told the Senate Housing and Development Committee that water and sewer constraints, inconsistent CTE funding, and immigration-related labor fear worsen the construction workforce shortage in rural and frontier counties.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6210285,"Committee hears shortage of building code professionals; colleges launch micro‑credentials and OBOA moves on apprenticeship application",634,815060,1450000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae&start=815&end=1450","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3720478-f6998eb4c67fe7e1b78d7557c32db4ae/thumbnail_815060.jpg","/articles/6210285/Oregon/Committee-hears-shortage-of-building-code-professionals-colleges-launch-microcredentials-and-OBOA-moves-on-apprenticeship-application","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6210285-4d9a91f788889b9e277b8c763388e767/orig.mp4?Expires=1773638805&Signature=cfwFcGoVp4~u0gziWPwU127bxTiBhhw3rDPiYG3rRx1UfmgaPJMrpIYdB2rSar8j5OXEhMex4flyxMD48r6h3QVrspJm8qPkMNZC5azKJUI9O4oBbO4IDULbcTh4sHI6xgZH-ShTKbV0fonXVGlrOro8MMscTMm~4rwX44i1TkL5EidLoElC2-eNk-q4O7COD75~vb6GEipvEzX4Gi4VcjRL5AT4B6S9ubONUPmkAj3XIfgWm3mHWRI5XVVLcd63tVOr2NwyP9NHTItvhOUIn4Tx-4JgUZjh1X591e9f6n5nu63QRj7c9x-QGbLWOjnjBWger~5bOQtEKiX7PGX-LQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dan Carlson, building official for the city of Wilsonville and adjunct instructor in building inspection technology, told the Senate Housing and Development Committee June 4 that Oregon faces a shortfall of code professionals who review and inspect housing projects. \"We have approximately 1,500 code professionals,\" Carlson said, and described broad retirements and local hiring challenges.

Carlson said jurisdictions need more inspectors and plans examiners to keep pace with housing production and to prevent plan backlogs. \"We have a lot of project backlogs — jurisdictions receiving hundreds of plan sets without plans examiners able to review them,\" he said, adding that many students are hired before graduation and that jurisdictions are offering signing bonuses and other recruitment tools.

Community colleges are piloting shorter, stackable credentials to speed entry. Carlson said Chemeketa Community College will launch three noncredit certificates in fall 2025: a permit technician certificate (about 11 weeks, roughly $1,000), a residential plans examiner certificate (about 22 weeks, roughly $2,100) and a residential building inspector certificate (about 22 weeks, roughly $2,200). Those short programs are designed to fold into a two‑year associate of applied science (about seven terms and roughly $20,000), allowing credits from certificates to apply toward the degree.

Carlson also outlined the new apprenticeship pathway authorized by legislation referenced in the hearing: \"Senate Bill 1086 requires BCD and BOLI to provide assistance to the Oregon Building Officials Association in developing and submitting to the State Apprenticeship Council a proposal for building inspection apprenticeship,\" he said. Carlson said OBOA formed a task force and plans to work with the State Building Codes Division (BCD) and the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) on an application this summer and fall; he added the group anticipates requesting funding during a short legislative session to launch the apprenticeship.

A numerical inconsistency in Carlson’s testimony was noted: he recited several figures — total code professionals (about 1,500), replacement and growth needs (about 55 per year), and current annual production (about 50 per year) — then summarized that the state has \"a gap of about a hundred and 5 per year.\" That arithmetic does not align with the earlier stated numbers and should be clarified with Carlson or the training programs.

Ending: Carlson urged the committee to support training and funding measures so jurisdictions can hire and certify enough code professionals to inspect and approve housing at the scale envisioned by state housing goals.","Building inspectors and plans examiners are in short supply, community colleges are creating short certificates and the Oregon Building Officials Association (OBOA) is preparing an apprenticeship application following recent legislation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Consultants say Oregon needs roughly 13,000 new construction workers a year to meet housing goals; apprenticeship-ratio change flagged as contentious

Unions say shortage is of good-paying jobs, not workers; they oppose lowering apprenticeship ratios and urge living wages and streamlined permitting

Central and Southern Oregon witnesses cite infrastructure and CTE funding gaps as barriers to building homes

Committee hears shortage of building code professionals; colleges launch micro‑credentials and OBOA moves on apprenticeship application