New hiring laws in Oregon for 2027: new-hire pay notices, work authorization, wages and what comes next

As of October 2026, Oregon employers took on a new written pay-statement explanation for every new hire on January 1, 2026 (SB 906), a ban on penalizing employees who update their work-authorization details from June 5, 2026 (HB 4111), and new minimum wages on July 1, 2026 ($15.55 standard, $16.80 Portland metro, $14.55 nonurban). Three laws from the 2026 session take effect January 1, 2027, on minors' hours, home care companionship workers and unlicensed construction labor contractors.

Each item below is an enacted bill or a published agency figure with a confirmed date, linked to the Legislature's bill page or the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). The standing Oregon checklist (registration, salary history and age-question bans, ban-the-box, recording consent) is in our Oregon hiring hub; this page covers what is new.

Which Oregon hiring laws changed in 2026, and what changes in 2027?

What does SB 906 require Oregon employers to give new hires?

A plain explanation of the pay statement. BOLI's legislative updates say that under SB 906 "employers must notify all new hires of information about earnings and deductions to help them understand what is contained in the itemized statement." The required elements are the regular pay period, every type of pay rate the employee may earn (hourly, salary, shift differential, piece rate, commission), all benefit contributions and deductions and the purpose of each regular deduction, any allowances counted toward minimum wage, and "all payroll codes for contributions and deductions with a description or definition of each code." It can be given on paper, posted conspicuously, or linked electronically, and "must be reviewed and updated by January 1 of each year." BOLI publishes a template on its paycheck deductions page. Add it to the first-day packet next to the anti-harassment policy Oregon already requires at hire.

What does HB 4111 change about work authorization and Form I-9?

It protects employees whose immigration paperwork changes. According to BOLI, HB 4111, effective June 5, 2026, "makes it unlawful for an employer to punish an employee because that employee updates (or attempts to update) their personal information based on lawful changes to their work authorization documentation." The bill also "clarifies that it is not unlawful for an employer to take actions necessary to comply with federal employment authorization verification requirements," so Form I-9 reverification continues as before. Separately, it bars most use of a party's or witness's immigration status in civil cases. In practice, when a worker brings a new name, new document or new Social Security number after a status change, process the update and reverify where federal rules require it, without discipline; see Form I-9 reverification and E-Verify requirements in Oregon.

What are Oregon's minimum wages from July 1, 2026?

BOLI's minimum wage schedule lists $15.55 standard, $16.80 for the Portland metro area and $14.55 for nonurban counties from July 1, 2026, up from $15.05, $16.30 and $14.05. The next change takes effect July 1, 2027: BOLI calculates it by April 30 from the change in the Consumer Price Index, the Portland rate stays $1.25 above standard and the nonurban rate $1 below. Oregon has no pay range posting law, but offers and ads for hourly roles must use the rate for the county where the work is done.

What does an Oregon employer need for a valid non-compete in 2026?

A written offer two weeks before the start date and pay above the annual threshold. BOLI's noncompetition page lists $119,541 as the 2026 minimum amount that annual gross salary and commissions at termination must exceed, up from $116,427 in 2025, adjusted each year for West Region inflation. Health care is stricter: SB 951 (2025), which took effect on passage in 2025, makes a non-compete that restricts "the practice of medicine or the practice of nursing" void between a medical licensee and hospitals, hospital-affiliated clinics, management services organizations and other listed entities, with narrow exceptions such as owners, for contracts entered into or renewed on or after its effective date. See Oregon non-compete law before you hire someone with an existing agreement.

Which public employers must give National Guard members a hiring preference?

Public employers covered by Oregon's veterans' preference law. BOLI explains that under ORS chapter 408 public employers give veterans and disabled veterans a preference "at each stage of the hiring process (5% to veterans and 10% to disabled veterans)," and that from January 1, 2026, under SB 808, "former and current Oregon National Guard members will also be entitled to a preference." Recruiters filling public sector roles should add Guard service to the application questions that trigger the preference.

What changes on January 1, 2027?

• Minors' hours (HB 4013). BOLI says rules on the total hours a minor can work "may not be less restrictive than the requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as in effect on January 1, 2026," and may become stricter only to track increased protections. Employers hiring teenagers should keep scheduling to current Oregon and federal limits.
• Home care companionship workers (SB 1518). The Oregon exemption from minimum wage and overtime for companionship services is tied to the federal definition as of January 1, 2016, and "a third party engaged in the business of providing home care or companionship services" may not claim it. Home care staffing agencies lose this exemption and need to pay minimum wage and overtime to these workers unless another exemption applies.
• Unlicensed construction labor contractors (HB 4089). Contractors or subcontractors who knowingly contract with an unlicensed construction labor contractor commit a crime, a misdemeanor with felony exposure for repeat convictions. Licensed construction contractors are not "construction labor contractors" for this purpose.

What took effect in 2025 that still shapes Oregon hiring?

• No age questions before the interview. HB 3187, effective September 26, 2025, bars requesting an applicant's age, date of birth or school attendance or graduation dates until an interview is completed or a conditional offer is made, with exceptions for bona fide occupational qualifications and legal requirements.
• No shortened claim deadlines. HB 2957, effective June 24, 2025, bars agreements with "a former, current, or prospective employee" that shorten the time to bring claims within BOLI's jurisdiction, so remove such clauses from applications and offer letters.
• Standing bans. Salary history questions, early conviction questions and most credit checks remain off limits; see the Oregon salary history ban and Oregon ban-the-box.

Oregon has no AI hiring statute as of October 2026; the Attorney General's guidance says existing laws apply to AI tools. See AI hiring laws by state.

What should Oregon employers do before January 1, 2027?

1. Update the SB 906 explanation. Review your pay statement guide by January 1, 2027, as the law requires each year, and confirm every 2026 hire received one.
2. Check pay against the July 2026 rates. Confirm offers and any posted pay for each county's tier.
3. Train HR on work-authorization updates. Route document changes to I-9 reverification, not discipline.
4. Re-test non-compete offers. Check that the role will clear $119,541 and that the two-week written notice is in the offer workflow; drop non-competes for clinicians.
5. Home care and construction staffing: move companionship workers to minimum wage and overtime, and confirm every labor contractor you use holds an Oregon license.
6. Strip age and graduation-date fields from applications and screening forms.

What does this mean for staffing agencies in Oregon?

SB 906 applies to all new hires, so an agency that is the employer of record for its temporary workers owes the explanation to each of them, not only to its internal staff. The January 2027 changes fall hardest on two staffing segments: home care agencies placing companionship workers, and construction labor suppliers, which must hold the right Oregon license or expose their clients to criminal liability. Our Oregon staffing agency guide covers the licenses.