SALEM, OR -- Oregon's winter economic report is out, and it has good news for employees in the labor market. This winter, Oregon businesses reported 39,400 job openings. The average wage is also up about a dollar and a half to just over $17.50 an hour.

Employment economist Jessica Nelson says a recent trend is the shift of average job wages. "Sixty-one percent of the job vacancies paid below $15 an hour, and now in the winter of 2015 that's down to 34 percent," Nelson says. A year ago, 4,200 job vacancies paid at least $25 an hour. Now more than 5,000 pay that much.

Health care and social assistance had the most job openings, followed by leisure and hospitality.