In the Seattle metropolitan area, as in the rest of the nation, deep racial inequities are built into the regional economy. This report, produced in partnership with Burning Glass Technologies, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, offers a comprehensive analysis of long-standing racial gaps in labor market outcomes, the economic impacts of Covid-19, and the racial equity implications of automation. It provides in-depth, disaggregated data on equity indicators and labor market dynamics, finding that only 44 percent of the region’s workers hold good jobs, that White workers with less than a high school diploma earn higher average wages than Black workers with an associate’s degree, and that eliminating racial inequities in income could boost the Seattle metro economy by $33 billion a year. Finally, it provides a blueprint for action to advance workforce equity informed by the data and developed by local leaders. Download the report.

Additional resources:

• Summary data slide deck
• Strategic industry profile (from Burning Glass Technologies)
• Supplementary data tables on automation risk and job quality

Media: New Research Highlights Racial Disparities in the Workforce in Seattle and Makes Actionable Recommendations for Equitable Economic Recovery (PR News Wire)