Economy

West Seattle is Far From Dead
Despite the closure of the West Seattle Bridge last March due to structural deficiencies, homes are still selling
This article is featured in the November/December issue of Seattle Business magazine. Subscribe here to access the print edition. Being stuck on an island during a pandemic isnt ideal, but dont for a moment think West Seattle is dying. The small business community is concerned over a precipitous decline in foot traffic, but despite the…

Seattle Chamber Files Lawsuit Challenging Payroll Tax
The lawsuit alleges that the City Council imposed a tax on 'the right to earn a living'
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court challenging the city’s recently enacted payroll tax. The lawsuit alleges that the Seattle City Council imposed a tax on the right to earn a living. It cites as precedent Cary v. City of Bellingham, in which the state Supreme Court ruled…

Remote Work Flourishes in Washington State
Seattle and Washington state have readjusted better than most to remote work during the pandemic
Seattle and Washington state have readjusted better than most to remote work during the pandemic. Seattle has 622 remote job opportunities, ranking No. 9 in the United States, according to an analysis by Moneypenny, a provider of phone answering and live chat services to businesses. Moneypenny analyzed more than 71,000 remote jobs advertised on Indeed.com…

Millennials Do Quite Well in Seattle
Salary survey puts millennials here near the top
Millennials make more money in Seattle than in almost any United States city. Seattle ranks No. 3 in millennials salaries, according to a report from Hire A Helper, a company that connects moving companies and customers. Adjusted for cost-of-living, the median income for millennials employed full-time in the Puget Sound region is $51,727, which is…

Seattle Boasts More Women Business Owners Than Any Other Large City
Statewide, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii have the highest percentage of women business owners
The Puget Sound region has a higher percentage of women business owners than any major metro area in the United States. A report by Self Financial found that women make up 46.2% of business owners in the region, which trumps the national average of 38.4%. Statewide, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii have the highest percentage of…

Survey: Voters Worry About Downtown Seattle’s Future
A poll by the Downtown Seattle Association and the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce found that 83% of voters consider job loss and business closures a serious issue
A poll from the Downtown Seattle Association and the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce found that Seattle voters are concerned about the economic recovery of downtown Seattle. Conducted by EMC research, the poll surveyed a total of 900 people and found that 83% of voters consider job loss and business closures in Seattle a serious…

Washington Ranks Sixth Best State for Recent Grads Amid Covid-19
Washington is expected to see 2.9% employment growth between 2019 and 2021, according to the report
Business.org ranked Washington the sixth best state for recent college graduates to start their careers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Washington is expected to see 2.9% employment growth between 2019 and 2021, according to a Business.org report. Business.org found that 4.3% of people in Washington ages 25 to 29 are unemployed, and unemployment decreased 6% between…

Seattle Business magazine is back
Combo issue with Seattle magazine planned for later this summer
After a brief hiatus prompted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the award-winning Seattle Business magazine is returning with a special issue later this summer, in combination with affiliated publication Seattle magazine. The issue focuses on whats ahead as the pandemic continues and features the 31st annual compilation of Seattle Business magazines Best Companies…

Seattle Business Leaders Aren’t Being Pollyannaish About the Fallout From the Coronavirus Crisis, Survey Shows
Executives in the Puget Sound Area have a notably bleak view of COVID-19s impact on their businesses, the poll states
Labor-market information platform ThinkWhy surveyed 500 business leaders across a half dozen major metro areas from March 14 through March 19 only several days before Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued a mandatory statewide stay-at-home order and found that executives in the Seattle area have the most negative view of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis….

Calling All Seattle Businesses and Nonprofits Stung by the Coronavirus Crisis: Participate in This Survey
Greater Seattle Partners is co-sponsoring an online poll to gather data that will be used to help speed recovery
In a time of great uncertainty, as we are experiencing in the Seattle area with the still-developing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the best way to advance is to shine a light down the path, allowing us to keep our feet on solid ground as we move forward. Thats precisely what regional economic development group Greater Seattle…

Washington Restaurants and Bars Are Being Ordered Closed to Help Stem the Spread of the Coronavirus
The governors order also will require theaters, health and fitness clubs and similar venues to shut down
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee plans to issue an emergency proclamation on Monday, March 16, that will temporarily shut down restaurants, bars and recreational facilities statewide and prohibit all gatherings of more than 50 people as part of a growing dragnet aimed at limiting the deadly reach of the coronavirus. Restaurants will be allowed to provide…

Washington Is Among the States Getting the Biggest Economic Boost From Immigrants, Study Finds
The state scores high in measures such as jobs generated by immigrant-owned firms and the percentage of large companies founded by immigrants
As the nation deals with a divisive debate over immigration policies, a new study offers some insight into the stakes in that debate by examining and ranking states based on the economic contributions of their immigrant populations. Washington earned a sixth-place showing in the ranking, according to the study by personal finance platform WalletHub. Among…