We recently had the opportunity to sit down with former Governor Gary Locke to learn what he has been up to and his thoughts on the greater Seattle region as we approach economic recovery from Covid-19. After his historic achievement becoming the first Chinese American to be elected governor in United States history, and the…
Today, NASA and SpaceX are preparing for an historic space launch that demonstrates the power of public and private partnerships. Two Americans will board the Falcon 9, Crew Dragon commercial spacecraft and visit the International Space Station (ISS) – a feat not done with humans aboard in 9 years. What has led us to this…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently published March unemployment estimates through their Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. These estimates, which are produced each month at the state, regional, county, and city levels, revealed several noteworthy insights. As one of the first regions hit by COVID-19, the greater Seattle region saw the official unemployment rate…
First hit by problems with the manufacturing supply chain and drop in demand for exports due to the epidemic in China, the greater Seattle region now faces a massive hit to its tourism, retail, services, and hospitality sectors caused by the corona virus outbreak. But the collaborative effort of business and government could mean getting…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages for Q3 2019 was released this week. Regional employment and wage growth continue to rank in the top seven for all large metros in the U.S. While the number of business establishments in the region also grew, Pierce County posted significantly larger gains…
Jaebadiah Gardner likes a challenge. As the founder and CEO of Gardner Global, Inc., a real estate development firm, he faces stiff competition in the Seattle housing market. He’s learned to navigate the bureaucratic streams of local regulation as well as leverage the relationships he’s built as he’s worked to develop both multi-family and market…
This week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new employment and unemployment estimates for December 2019 (seasonally adjusted). See below for greater Seattle highlights: Employment Nonfarm payroll employment in greater Seattle rose in December 2019 compared to a year earlier, increasing from 2.05 million in December 2018 to 2.13 million in December 2019….
The trip to Vietnam, sponsored by the Association of Washington Business, has been postponed until later in the year. We’ll provide an update as soon as it is available. Why Vietnam? Business & Economy Top 20 customer of Washington state merchandise exports (2018) Washington state exports valued at $900 million+ (2018), more than double the…
The Greater Seattle region’s economy sizzled in 2018, growing faster than any other major U.S. metropolitan area. Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) released an analysis today showing that the region’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by more than $23 billion in 2018. “Innovation and talent drive growth,” said GSP CEO Brian P. McGowan. “We are overtaking…
Companies that depend on access to global markets today face very real and serious risks. Tariffs are reducing our trade flows and threatening over half the imports into the Seattle-Tacoma gateway. More than 40% of jobs throughout Washington state are tied to international trade, and trade with China contributes to nearly 200,000 jobs and $7 billion…
State-level export data is out for October, which highlights a 17.5% increase in Washington state exports from September – October 2019. That said, October numbers are significantly below export values for the same time last year. When looking at the MSA-level, Greater Seattle exports totaled over $9.5 billion in Q2 2019, a 21% decrease from…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Q2 figures were released this week. Regional employment and wage growth were impressive, though not always equally distributed among the three counties. While the number of establishments in the region also grew, Pierce and Snohomish counties posted larger gains than King County in…