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Socioeconomics <br />Employment forecasts suggest that growth in Lane County will continue to outpace the state <br />average between 1995 and 2040, but only by a small margin. Annual job growth in Lane County <br />is expected to average 2.84 percent between 1995 and 2000, then slow to 1.2 percent between <br />2000 and 2015, and slow further to 0.83 percent between 2015 and 2040 (Table 12). During the <br />same time periods, annual employment growth in the state is expected to average 2.61 percent, <br />1.17 percent, and 0.79 percent, respectively. <br />Table 12. Long-term employment forecast for Oregon and Lane County between years <br />1995 and 2040 (in thousands). <br />1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 <br />Oregon 1,417 1,602 1,719 1,814 1,883 1,948 2,014 2,094 2,180 2,254 <br />Lane County 128.7 147.0 157.9 166.8 173.4 179.5 185.9 193.7 202.0 209.2 <br />Source: Oregon Department of Administrative Services, March 1999. <br />Oregon's annual average unemployment rate rose as high as 7.5 percent in 1992 and dipped as <br />low as 4.8 percent in 1995, largely following national economic cycles. Unemployment rose <br />again to 5.9 percent in 1996 and 5.8 percent in 1997. Although employment growth slowed <br />during the first 9 months of 1998, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state <br />remained below the 1997 annual average rate. This suggests that the 1998 annual unemployment <br />rate in Oregon may be lower than the 1997 rate (Oregon Department of Administrative Services, <br />March 1999). <br />.Despite moderate unemployment rates for Oregon as a whole, large rural regions within Oregon <br />have high unemployment rates. Eight of Oregon's 36 counties had unemployment rates of 10 <br />percent or more in 1997. Data for the first 9 months of 1998 suggest a reduction in the number <br />of counties with high unemployment rates and in the severity of unemployment in most counties. <br />Unemployment in Lane County was 4.7 percent in 1997 (Oregon Department of Administrative <br />Services, March 1999). <br />Large employers in Lane County include federal, state, and local governments. The single <br />largest employer is the Sacred Heart Medical Center, employing 2,700 workers. As shown in <br />Table 13, the Weyerhaeuser Company is the largest manufacturing enterprise in Lane County, <br />employing 1,200 workers. <br />Table 13. Five largest Lane County employers. <br /> Number of <br />Name Employees Services and Products <br />Sacred Heart Medical Center 2,700 Health care <br />Weyerhaeuser Company 1,200 Forest products <br />Willamette Industries 744 Lumber and wood <br />Spectra Physics 500 Laser scanners <br />Symantec Corporation 500 Computer software <br />Source: Oregon Economic Development Department Manufacturers Registration (economic <br />and employment data). <br />i <br />New Federal Courthouse 111 Final EIS <br />