News and perspective on public policy issues affecting Washington's economy and quality of life, brought to you by the Economic Opportunity Institute.
Today the Senate Labor & Workforce Development Committee is holding a work session on teen unemployment, at which they are discussing Senate Bill 5275. SB 5275 would “allow employers to pay a training wage for a specified period of time,” giving employers the to authority to pay workers of any age and skill level less than the minimum wage […]
We hear two views about the high-tech work force. On one hand, employers warn of a dire labor shortage. On the other, recent high-tech graduates can’t find jobs. Many face crushing student loans that they may never pay off. Mid-career high-tech workers are steadily being let go. Discouraged mid-career workers take lower-paid service jobs after months of searching for a job as good as the one they lost.
As Washington voters consider their ballots in the final days of election season, there’s no doubt many are thinking about the economy. So where does Washington’s economy stand? Economic growth has finally begun to accelerate in 2012, with most sectors adding jobs each month. Yet, employment gains are modest, and the state’s unemployment rate sits […]
Recently the Employment Security Department released its latest unemployment numbers for Washington: 8.6% unemployment in August – up from 8.5% in July and 8.3% in June. We would expect to see a concurrent fall in jobs numbers. Fewer jobs mean higher unemployment, right? While generally true, the numbers don’t always match up month-to-month. A couple […]
