Community Forum on Job Creation & Economic Growth Questions
Due to lack of media coverage of the 12/3 event, some were not able to add comments to this question. Of those that did, some reported not seeing anything relevant – just good intentions and nothing substantial since then. The restaurant industry has had a 30% drop in revenues in the past two years, and are no longer hiring additional personnel. It seems as though most advertising is now being done through social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook, which affects other service-related companies. Construction, land development and environmental review are impacted and affect all parts of land development, with the cutback in employees. Microsoft has been affected, and The Boeing Company will be moving a major assembly line to an entirely different state, which severely hurts us. There is a race to the top in education, and high School graduation rates are drastically down in Washington State. We have concerns with the educational workforce and the “No Child Left Behind” Act. We are appreciative of the effort, but there is a much larger issue. As a county, we can be proud of the school districts. They are working with a total of 9 school districts to reduce the dropout rate, including online graduation opportunities.
As a whole, we like the variety of attendees at these forums and feel that although each community faces its own unique obstacles and needs, the issues seem universal. Bottom line: we are interested in relevancy, and what is especially relevant to our county is job creation.
What parts of your local economy are working or thriving? What businesses and sectors are expanding and hiring?
Manufacturing in NW Washington is working. The government has given money to schools to educate students and women. Healthcare is strong, and will always be needed. The military has a strong presence in the state, and outside businesses are being attracted to Snohomish County. Aerospace is still strong even with Boeing’s relocation of the 787 line to South Carolina. High tech and technical service jobs are still here, although they do have some funding challenges. We have a variety of resources for companies wishing to go “green,” but technology needs to catch up with green concepts. Attorneys, bankruptcy and appraisers are all thriving. WSDOT is hiring mechanics, as well as police and government agencies. There is also an increased interest in the Bio Med industry, although funding has substantially decreased. We have solid worker retraining programs through Worksource and Employment Security Department, though some highly specialized individuals are struggling to get interviews. Some are seeing an increase in age discrimination playing a role in the hiring process. Retail and hospitality should increase with the 2010 Olympics; and public (i.e. State) construction and agriculture are also faring well. There is still a strong entrepreneurial spirit in this State.
What parts of your local economy are not working or thriving? What businesses and sectors have been hit the hardest? What are people struggling with the most?
Areas hit the hardest are real estate, the restaurant industry and higher education institutions. Retail and newspapers are also struggling. Youth jobs are not there because they are lacking education and experience, and many are being taken by the older, less skilled workforce. Mature workers and college graduates are hurting for jobs. Individuals have to volunteer just to get adequate work experience and/or upgrade their skill levels. Many job seekers are overqualified for fewer available jobs. Employers don’t like to higher overqualified staff for fear of fast turn-over. Private construction companies (commercial and residential) and financial institution jobs are taking a hard hit. There seems to be no “living wage jobs.” Other areas being affected are veterinary services, dental, the cosmetics industry, the Vision field of the healthcare industry and auto dealerships. In addition to that, the timber, maritime (boating), and the private capital/liquidity industries are also taking a major hit. Smaller businesses that compete against the larger chain stores are struggling as well.
What people seem to be struggling with the most is financial fear and uncertainty, unemployment, training funds, disposable income, depression, personal credit issues, skill gaps and public service systems and how exactly to access them for assistance.
What are the opportunities for growth in your community? What businesses and sectors seem poised to rebound? What do you see as the “jobs of the future”?
Businesses that are poised to rebound are the service industries, remodeling contractors and sub-contracting, financial education and healthcare (specifically nursing). Information Technology and other high tech jobs, green companies and recycling will also do well. Alternative energy and Bio Tech jobs, as well as aerospace, manufacturing, engineering are also strong possibilities for rebound opportunities. Composites and material science jobs seem to be on the increase for the future.
Opportunities for growth in our community include adding commercial flights to Paine Field, water quality testing and new, low-impact development techniques. There are several bio fuel companies that are interested in Snohomish County. The Rapid Transit Expansion is another solid opportunity for growth and expansion in our community.
What are the obstacles to job creation in your community? What could make local businesses more likely to start hiring?
Financing needs to be freed up, and tax credits need to be offered. Banks are to begin more lending, but the governmental restrictions are preventing loans from being streamlined. Retraining is needed and should be provided free of charge for those doing low-impact development, green construction and coming up with energy efficiency ideas. The Washington State constitution limits companies from coming to Washington State, the tax rates are too high, and there are limits on investments. Our state and local governments are significantly underfunded, there is no liquidity, and no tax incentives offered. We need education for hiring employees and understanding human resource and labor laws. There are economic changes and environmental regulations and no demand for goods and services.
What might assist in making local businesses begin hiring comes down to 1) an upswing in the economy, and 2) a skilled workforce that is flexible to meet the needs of changing business in America.
What other issues and ideas should the President consider?
We would like the President to look at mandatory furloughs, tax breaks/tax incentives, offering funding for Green ideas that help our environment, and the fact that there are too many restrictions on services provided (i.e. money for the homeless). The idea of hosting a Banking forum, where business owners could talk and ask questions of the banks would be helpful and informative. A Green conference is needed to bring together all aspects of a nation going “green.” The restrictions on the money given from the ARC Loan program through the SBA need to be minimized. It was great in theory, but in practice many businesses were not able to receive the funding. The documentation alone is difficult to read, and businesses often feel they need training just to read through it.
The higher educational system needs to be revamped. We are trying to compete within a more technology savvy and higher educated workforce globally, and retraining for students needs to be addressed. Our children cannot afford college, and the concept of performing some type of community service in lieu of tuition (not burdensome student loans) needs to be explored. If our children do take out loans to pay for college, they come out of school buried in debt, with little jobs open and have to take whatever they can to repay tuition. We cannot compete globally, like this.
In addition to this, the government should reconsider bailing out businesses with bad practices that are doomed to fail.
