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Eric Fruits, Ph.D., President and Chief Economist at Economics International Corp., will discuss the state’s economic environment and highlight how the business ecosystem is surviving open season. He will provide an economic forecast for the next year. He will describe some of the major legislation that has recently passed and look at some potential new legislation likely to be introduced in the 2017 session, including:
•    Minimum wage: Meet your new robot.
•    Paid time off: The end of vacation.
•    Scheduling certainty/scheduling flexibility: Do you know what the weather will be a month from now?
•    The sharing economy: Are Uber drivers employees or contractors?
Against this backdrop, state and local government has declared open season on Oregon businesses. Recent legislative sessions have imposed new minimum wage and sick time mandates on businesses. On top of that, IP 28 will give voters a chance to impose a massive tax on Oregon businesses. The upcoming elections could bring a supermajority big enough to pass new and bigger taxes. In the meantime, BOLI is taking pot shots at a businesses big and small.
The discussion will focus on how businesses can survive—and maybe even thrive—in Oregon’s open season.
Eric Fruits, Ph.D. is president and chief economist at Economics International Corp., an Oregon based consulting firm specializing in economics, finance, and statistics. He is also an adjunct professor at Portland State University. His economic analysis has been published in The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today as well as in top-tier academic journals. He has published studies on the employment and income impacts of minimum wage increases. He accurately forecasted the impacts of Measures 66 & 67 on Oregon employment. Dr. Fruits has testified in a special session of the Oregon Supreme Court on PERS reforms.