In 2023, Jobs for the Future (JFF) and the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) formed the Task Force on Data, Access, Alignment, and Integration for Improved Workforce Outcomes, an executive task force formed from workforce development boards across the country, to explore how federal policies can better utilize existing workforce systems to deliver people-first, equity-centered results for all. Marie Kurose, CEO of the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, was honored to serve as a member of this task force. The principles and recommendations outlined in this report lean into the power of the nation’s workforce development system while remaining locally responsive and data-driven.

We’re utilizing Digital Navigators to advance digital equity in preparation for upcoming BEAD-supported programs. Collaborating with various digital equity partners, WDC has also joined forces with Comcast, who has generously donated $60,000, to support the deployment of two Digital Navigators at WorkSource locations. This collaboration signifies a collective commitment to bridging the digital divide, fostering inclusivity, and ensuring that the benefits of technology reach all corners of our community.

A $500 monthly boost led to significant employment growth, enhanced savings, improved debt management, and better quality of life for diverse King County residents facing poverty. The Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot, designed by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) and independently evaluated by Applied Inference, showed promising outcomes over its 10-month course.

"We have seen great wealth generation in this city. But we have been gutting middle-class jobs and excluding people of color," says Marie Kurose, executive director of the Seattle- King County Workforce Development Council (WDC), the backbone of the many programs that train and place people in jobs. She adds, "Marginalized people have not been reaping the benefits of this economic growth."

More than one-fourth of Washington's working-age households struggle to meet their basic needs, according to a report released September 26th, 2023 by the University of Washington Center for Women's Welfare. The report shows that an alarming 28% of working-age households struggle to meet their basic needs, a significant rise from 22% in 2019, showing the profound economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem, though pervasive across the state, is most pronounced in eastern Washington and the Olympic Peninsula, with some counties reporting 40% of households battling to cover basic needs.

A new data tool demonstrates the significant gap between racial inequality in King County as compared with state and national averages. Although the region boasts relatively high incomes, this prosperity is concentrated among the White population. The data represents the first phase of “Workforce Dynamics,” a new economic and social visualization project produced by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC). The project offers detailed and disaggregated data visualizations, with initial focus on Place and Income.

We have been on a long and trying road together in the nearly two years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a deep breath—this is one of the most extraordinary times in our history, and the disproportionate racial impact on the community has been heartbreaking. At the risk of stating the obvious, we must get the pandemic under control to ease the suffering. But let us be real with you: our vision of an equitable workforce system centering racial equity is incompatible with the pre-pandemic status quo.

We begin the new program year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) focused on recovery. Our region is seeing promising trends, from lower infection rates to positive economic indicators. Despite the beginnings of recovery, we are seeing widening economic disparities for women and people of color. This is a critical time for our region to work together around a shared vision of support and inclusion.

On February 18, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and National Fund for Workforce Solutions held a live discussion on new research detailing racial disparities in the Seattle-area workforce and how to build an equitable economic recovery. Panel featuring: Marie Kurose, CEO, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County; Amanda Cage, President and CEO, National Fund for Workforce Solutions; Rich Stolz, Executive Director, OneAmerica; W. Tali Hairston­­, Equity Research Specialist, Root and Branch.

Recover Better: A Regional Plan for Equitable Economic Recovery is a 3-5 year blueprint to align shared priorities between regional partners in the local workforce development system. It analyzes the economic impacts from COVID-19, the recovery outlook for sectors and workers, and presents two north stars: equitable economic recovery and job quality.

COVID-19 is a wakeup call for our region. We must address long-standing racial inequities as we respond to the crisis.

In Program Year 2019 (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020) we served 41,069 people, including 1,365 young people (age 16-24). We also served 1,735 businesses, including 413 we had not worked with before. Those numbers only hint at the unthinkable challenges our communities and systems faced this year—a global pandemic that took lives and upended livelihoods and had an unequal impact on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and immigrants and refugees. From infection rates to employment rates, those most at risk were most impacted.

The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County is pleased to announce a $500,000 investment from JPMorgan Chase focused on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts. The WDC will assist individuals who have lost jobs and income as a result of the ongoing public health emergency.

We begin the next program year in a substantially different place than from last year, even than from a few months ago. The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have created massive disruptions to the economy and created a new reality for workers, the unemployed, and small businesses.