Electricians face a promising job market in Oregon. The state’s Employment Department expects the total number of job openings for electricians to be much higher than that for jobs on average during the ten-year period ending in 2024.
This Department expects the rate of increase in the number of jobs for electricians to be 16% during this time frame. Two regions of Oregon should see even higher rates of job growth for electricians:
- Central Oregon—31.3%
- East Cascades—23.3%
In fact, 80% of the contractors in Oregon expect difficulty in finding and hiring skilled workers such as electricians during 2016 according to a survey by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Part of the reason for the expected shortage of skilled construction workers is that construction will be Oregon’s faster growing industry through 2024 according to the state’s Workforce and Economic Analysis. This will be particularly true for Central Oregon and the Portland area. Construction grew at the fastest rate of Oregon’s major industries during the year ending in June 2016 and added 8,100 jobs.
The Portland Business Journal highlighted major construction projects in the region as of July 2016. Portland picked a contractor to carry out $140 million worth of work on the Portland Building which needs serious modifications including major electrical renovation.
Groundbreaking for the Grant Street Pier also took place this month. City officials expect that construction for this unique cable-stay pier will be completed by the end of 2017. The pier will be the center point of a 7.3-acre park that will start construction in the fall.
The park is just part of $1.5 billion in development of the Vancouver waterfront. Six new buildings including the Hotel Indigo will be under construction along the waterfront by the summer of 2017.
Salaries for Residential Electricians Throughout Oregon
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians in Oregon’s major cities and its rural areas. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians in Oregon’s Major Cities
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in Oregon’s largest cities (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers:
- Albany: $71,250 – $106,500
- Bend-Redmond: $91,720 – $109,090
- Eugene: $88,770 – $109,040
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $88,660 – $102,290
- Salem: $88,670 – $123,270
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment:
- Albany: $70,560 – $79,230
- Bend-Redmond: $72,240 – $90,430
- Eugene: $59,910 – $92,810
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $63,460 – $94,000
- Salem: $67,580 – $101,270
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay:
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $90,350 – $102,320
Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers:
- Eugene: $30,540 – $47,370
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $39,830 – $62,340
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers:
- Bend-Redmond: $38,690 – $62,460
- Eugene: $55,710 – $63,870
- Medford: $44,620 – $57,820
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $43,550 – $67,130
- Salem: $55,590 – $70,520
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Portland and Eugene
The number of jobs for electrician apprentices in Oregon should increase faster than that for jobs on average during the ten-year period ending in 2024 according to the state’s Employment Department.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in Oregon’s four largest cities and rural North Northeastern Oregon. Shown below is information that represents the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship (2015):