Labor market
Planning begins for Washington law offering new pathways to high school graduation
Washington students will soon be able to use workforce experience to graduate high school. At a State Board of Education meeting on Thursday, members began hammering out proposed rules to put House Bill 1308 into effect. The law, approved during this year’s legislative session, allows high school students to move toward graduation by completing a […]
Despite pandemic pay boost, low-wage workers still can’t afford basic needs
Employers grappling with a nationwide labor shortage gave low-wage workers the largest pay increases in most states between 2019 and last year. But even so, many of those workers — more than 40% of all U.S. households, by one estimate — are struggling to cover the inflated costs of basic expenses. In the past several […]
More land jobs, fewer file for unemployment in May
Washington’s labor market is showing signs of gradual tightening as job opportunities and the number of workers willing to fill them move toward a balance. Employers added jobs in May, though less than in previous months. Meanwhile, the number of people seeking work climbed but the overall amount of openings fell. “Are there still ‘Help […]