The tight market leads to competition, meaning higher wages and better benefits.
"There are less workers available than there are jobs available for those workers in certain sectors," Waldman added. "Demand is high and supply is low and we've seen that driving up local wages."
But industries hit hard — like entertainment — can't stretch much more.
"We're already looking at what can we offer to these employees to make sure we're able to continue maintaining our business without running the business out of business," Starplex Crowd Management Services (CMS) Administrative Manager Ken Pierce told KGW.
Businesses blame expanded unemployment insurance and stimulus payments. Some Oregonians make as much or more by not working.