According to preliminary estimates, average employment in Clatsop County’s accommodations industry rose by 50 jobs to 1,310 in 2014 and is up by nearly 14 percent since its 2011 recessionary low of 1,150 jobs. The accommodations sector which includes hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, RV parks, and private campgrounds makes up about 7.6 percent of the county’s annual average employment, much greater than the portion statewide (1.3%).
Seaside Provides 44 percent of County’s Lodging Jobs
Though city level employment data for 2014 is not available yet, in 2013 the City of Seaside’s lodging facilities employed 44 percent of the industry’s workers county-wide and accounted for 52 percent ($16.2 million) of the industry’s payroll county wide ($31.1 million). The industry’s average wage within the City of Seaside was $28,433 annually in 2013, surpassing the county-wide average ($24,248) and the state-wide average ($21,008). Seaside’s lodging labor force burgeons by about one-fourth during the hectic summer months, peaking in July and declining steadily through the fall to its January low.
Most Common Lodging Jobs
Maids and housekeepers are the most common jobs within the lodging industry, making up 39 percent of its employment within Northwest Oregon (Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties). Desk clerks is the second-largest occupation with over 18 percent of jobs, followed by maintenance and repair workers (11%) and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (4%).
For additional labor market information for the hospitality/accommodations or other industries, please contact Shawna Sykes at 503.396.7355 or via e-mail at Shawna.L.Sykes@oregon.gov
