Businesses struggle to find candidates, leaving significant job openings locally and in critical industries like health care, education, manufacturing and food processing.
Workers, especially women and people of color, are finding it difficult to return to the labor force due to lack of child care and inflation. Companies and job seekers also find it challenging to match training and job-skills programs to fill the area’s jobs. That’s why local workforce development boards — like Workforce Southwest Washington — are critical.
Washington’s 12 local workforce boards are an important piece of the economic ecosystem, serving almost 80,000 individuals annually and helping nearly 20,000 businesses.
To boost our capacity to serve more companies and residents, we hope you’ll join us in supporting an ongoing state investment in the expanded Economic Security for All, or EcSA, program outlined in the governor’s budget. EcSA expansion will provide funding for local solutions to aid in poverty prevention, expand skills-based training, focus on at-risk and underserved populations, support earn-to-learn opportunities and expand business engagement.
