FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anthony Smith, NFIB Oregon State Director, anthony.smith@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

SALEM, Ore., March 5, 2026—From NFIB Oregon State Director Anthony Smith on today’s release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which showed that the Small Business Employment Index ticked up nearly 1 point to 103.5, a 2.3-point increase above the 2025 average of 101.2, and 3.5 points above the historical average of 100.

“Oregon’s labor market is weaker than what we’re seeing around the rest of the country. Our unemployment rate is much higher than the national average and job openings are near a five-year low. The Legislature could have spent the last five weeks working to turn things around, but instead, we’re sending a message to rest of the nation that Oregon is closed for business.”

“By further decoupling Oregon from the federal tax code, SB 1507 nixes 100% bonus depreciation (Sec. 168k), a mechanism by which a business can purchase a piece of equipment or machinery and deduct the full cost of the purchase in the year it was placed in service rather than spreading that deduction out over the full depreciation schedule, which can be up to 20 years.”

NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The NFIB Small Business Employment Index is a new measure of the current state of the small business labor market. The Index integrates actual and planned changes in employment and employee compensation into a singular data point. A higher Index reflects an overall tighter labor market; a lower Index reflects an overall weaker labor market.

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“February’s numbers show a growing tightness in the small business labor market. While the overall market remains in balance, employers need more skilled workers to fill open positions.”

Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report

• A seasonally adjusted net 12% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down 4 points from January and the lowest level since May 2025. Despite the decrease, hiring plans are close to their average of a net 11%.
• In February, 15% of small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, down 1 point from January and the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The last time labor quality, reported as the single most important problem, was this low was in April 2020. Labor costs, reported as the single most important problem by small business owners, remained at 9%.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 34% of small business owners reported raising compensation in February, up 2 points from January and the highest level since March 2025. A net 22% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, unchanged from January.

Keep up with the latest Oregon small business news at www.nfib.com or on X at @NFIB_OR

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For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

National Federation of Independent Business
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Salem, OR 97301
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