July Issue
July, Vital Signs
The First Declines
The nation continues to flirt with recession, hammered by problems in the financial services sector, but buoyed by Federal Reserve actions to stimulate lending and buttress troubled financial institutions. Strong exports are also...
May, Vital Signs
Washington Growth Still Outpaces the Nation
As of February, the Washington economy is holding up very well compared with the national economy. February brought news of a worsening situation in financial markets, along with moves by the Federal Reserve system to shore up...
April, Vital Signs
Manufacturing Falls
Washington's economy is slowing significantly, although it is not clear if the state will slip into a recession. At the national level, recessions are proclaimed after the fact by the National Bureau of Economic Research. So far,...
March, Vital Signs
A Strong Employment Outlook
Early in 2008, the U.S. economy was teetering at the edge of a recession, with unprecedented losses at major financial institutions, falling stock market indexes...
February, OutFront, Vital Signs
Tacoma's Steady Growth
Tacoma is the second largest metropolitan area in the state. Pierce County as a whole is considered by the federal government to be a metropolitan division within the Seattle/Tacoma Consolidated Metropolitan Area.
Vital Signs, January
Spokane - The Inland Empire's Urban Hub
Spokane is the third largest metropolitan area in the state, following the Seattle-Everett corridor and Tacoma. It is the transportation, health care and business services center for much of eastern Washington, as well as...
Vital Signs, December
Economy Slowing
The "subprime" market has evaporated and the stress is showing in the economy in several places. The accompanying graph shows the impact on the natural resources sector - forestry and mining - as well as in wood products. The two...
Vital Signs, November
Aerospace Still Drives The Economy
The aerospace industry is Washington's largest manufacturer and largest exporter. The largest company, by far, in this industry in Washington is Boeing. The company's main airplane manufacturing facilities are in Everett and...
July, Vital Signs
Software on the rise
Software publishing continues to expand in Washington, with 3,100 jobs added in April since the year before. The expansion is driven by Microsoft. But there is also a large and growing information technology cluster. ...
June, Vital Signs
The Information Technology Sector Rises Again
Washington state’s information sector has finally recovered from the collapse of the high-tech bubble in 2001. That, at least, is what the last quarter’s employment numbers suggest. The state’s information...
Management pros share more fine points on leadership
Mike Feiner's course on leadership was one of the highlights of my year spent at Columbia...
Market slide hurts Boeing workers' bonuses
Boeing share prices continued their decline on Monday, much to the chagrin of Puget Sound-area...
Aerospace leaders call for more workforce training
SEATTLE - Washington needs to invest more in workforce development and do a better job marketing...