While Lane County recovers from the economic ravages of COVID-19, an analyst says there is both room for improvement and cause for optimism.
During the fifth annual economic summit hosted by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Henry Fields gave an overview for the virtual audience. Fields is an economist for Lane and Douglas counties.
On the plus side, he said Lane County will add 24,000 jobs over the next ten years. Leisure and hospitality will see the biggest spike, after taking on heavy punches during the pandemic. Fields said Eugene’s economic base is diverse.
“We have more trade, transportation, utilities, more government, more healthcare which is primarily what makes up education and health services, and more manufacturing than the U.S. as a whole," said Fields. "Which is something I feel like not everybody knows. We have a lot less professional and business services, that includes things like engineers, architects…”
On the flip side, Fields said that Lane County’s annual wages still trail the national average by $15,000.
Copyright @2022, KLCC.
