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Chamber survey: Josephine County businesses cite weak consumer confidence, workforce housing and childcare as top constraints
Summary
A chamber-led visitation survey of 77 Josephine County businesses found decreasing consumer confidence, recession worries and workforce shortages as leading concerns; housing and childcare remain constraints though respondents reported modest improvements from prior surveys.
On May 18, 2026, the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce presented results from its winter 2025 Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) visitation survey to the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, summarizing interviews with 77 local businesses about near-term economic prospects and operational challenges.
The presentation, led by Terry Hopkins, President and CEO of the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce, and Chuck Rund, reviewed national and local economic trends and survey responses. "The BR&E survey has been conducted for more than twenty-five years," Hopkins said, describing the program’s purpose to gather in-person feedback that can help local governments and partners plan economic development efforts.
Rund told commissioners many businesses reported concerns about "decreasing consumer confidence" and broader recession and inflation risks, and he highlighted workforce availability as a recurring local constraint. Slides accompanying the presentation show decreasing consumer confidence as the single most frequently named top concern (30% listed it as first-choice), followed by the threat of a global or U.S. recession (20%) and availability of qualified workers (14%).
Survey methodology and representativeness were noted: volunteers conducted interviews over roughly three months and the 77 participating businesses were identified by committee to represent a broad cross-section of local industries; the presentation says participants were not randomly selected. The Chamber described the approach as a long-running visitation model intended to provide qualitative and quantitative perspective for county and city policymakers.
On operational topics, the survey reported a general rebound in products and services since the post-pandemic period, with many businesses expecting further increases next year. Respondents also reported growing adoption of technology and internet sales, though the majority of businesses still place a large share of sales in local markets (slides show a mean local/Grants Pass/Josephine County share of sales considerably higher than statewide or national shares).
Workforce-related issues featured prominently. Rund said employers continue to struggle with recruitment and retention, and the presentation identified childcare availability and workforce housing as persistent constraints. The slides quantify employer impacts: 42% of respondents said childcare availability affected their business (noted as an improvement from 53% in the prior survey), and 35% reported workforce housing impacts (improved from 42% previously). The Chamber emphasized employers repeatedly called for workers with strong interpersonal and soft skills — customer service, reliability and communication topped the list of critical skills.
Commissioners thanked the Chamber and survey volunteers for the analysis and said they would use the information in future planning discussions. There were no motions or votes tied to the presentation and the meeting adjourned at 2:13 p.m.
The full BR&E PowerPoint (Exhibit 1) includes detailed tables and charts on top concerns, sales and production trends, innovation activity, market geography, ratings of city and county services, and a summary of key findings that county staff and local partners may use to prioritize workforce and economic development initiatives.
