Jobs are surging in Seattle. The labor force? Not so much, and it might get worse.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Jobs may be roaring back from the depths of the Covid-19 economic crisis, but the same can't be said for the labor force.

New research by The Business Journals found employment increased by 14.4% in the nation's largest metros between April 2020 and July 2021, but civilian labor forces in those same metros rebounded by just 3.4%. Metros with more than 250,000 in employment were included.

In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area, the trend is more profound than in much of the country. Out of 103 metros that The Business Journals analyzed, the Seattle area had the 14th-largest gap between the increases in employment and the labor force. While employment increased 15.7% over the time period, the labor force increased less than 1%, according to the analysis of Bureau and Labor Statistics data. Meanwhile, unemployment has remained consistent over the past few months, at just over 5%.

Experts say the dynamic, which has led to a severe labor shortage, may not change in the short term due to the nation's shifting demographics.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/09/22/labor-force-gap-high-job-growth.html

A lot of baby boomers retiring.

[KT2000]

1. Institute an income tax in Washington

Retirees are leaving income tax states for Washington. They are also driving up the cost of homes, so maybe it will be a wash. Being no income tax state is a huge advertisement for people to come here though.