[Stamp] bzz902
#23clipboard
REC OVER
BE TTER
A REGIO NAL PLAN FOR
EQUITA BLE ECONOMIC
RECOV ERY
JANUARY 202 1
Executive
Summary
DEVELOPED IN
PARTNERSHIP
STRATEGIC PLAN LEAD
CONSULTANT/PROJECT MANAGER
Jill Nishi
RESEARCH, ENGAGEMENT &
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
Trang Tu
Bob Watrus
W. Tali Hairston
Rich Stolz, OneAmerica

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN



ABOUT
The Workforce Development Council of
Seattle-King County (WDC) is a nonprofit,
grant-making organization dedicated to
creating career pathways for adults and
youth through demand-driven workforce
and training programs. We convene and
partner with business, labor, training and
education providers, nonprofits, and diverse
community stakeholders to support an
inclusive and dynamic regional economy and
shared prosperity.
MISSION
To champion a workforce and learning
system that allows our region to be a world
leader in producing a vibrant economy
and lifelong employment and training
opportunities for every resident.
VISION
Leadership toward an inclusive, dynamic
regional economy.
VALUES
Integrity | Support | Adaptability |
Inclusion | Trust | Courage




2                                            REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY      INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION               This is a 3-5 year blueprint for shared priorities
between the Workforce Development Council of
Seattle-King County (WDC) and its regional partners:
County and City Government
Industry
COVID-19 IMPACT                Labor
Community Colleges
Educational and Training Partners
Community-Based Organizations
RECOVERY OUTLOOK          PURPOSE
To align regional and partner resources in response
to the job loss and economic disruption from the
NORTH STARS: EQUITABLE       COVID-19 global pandemic.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY & JOB    We prioritize equitable economic recovery, improving
job quality, and the placement of dislocated workers
QUALITY                      into quality jobs.
RACIAL EQUITY FOCUS
SECTOR ANALYSIS             The strategies are explicit in supporting Black,
Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and immigrant
and refugee communities, who have historically been
marginalized from economic opportunity, and are
more vulnerable without an intentional and concerted
STRATEGIES                  effort to center their needs and ensure equitable
participation in the region's recovery.
OUR ROLE AS WDC

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF SEATTLE-KING COUNTY                                                    3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
APPROACH
We sought the perspectives of industry,
labor, government, and the community
whenever possible to understand enablers
and barriers to employment, as well as
complementary data analyses and labor
market research. We relied on existing
sources of community feedback to minimize
the burden on community leaders as they
manage the pandemic impacts. Continued
community engagment will be critical as we
move forward.
We also looked at national and regional
economic projections to make reasonable
assumptions about the region's recovery.
We established a short-list of "opportunity
sectors"industry sectors that should be
a focus of regional recoverybased on                 GUIDING PRINCIPLES
short-term recovery indicators, job quality               A set of guiding principles informed our planning and
criteria, accessibility to those jobs by                      development, as well as our priorities and strategies:
BIPOC, immigrant and refugee communities,
Centering racial equity by focusing on BIPOC
and industry readiness and commitment.
workers, immigrant and refugee communities,
Since we can't have total certainty in these
and people disproportionately impacted by the
complex times, we expect to evolve this
current economic recession
strategy.
Moving dislocated workers into quality jobs
Finally, we looked at national and regional
offering living wages and benefits, advancement
equitable workforce development practices
opportunities, and safe workplaces
and innovations to understand how they
worked and whether they could help                       Improving the quality of jobs historically
support BIPOC communities, immigrants,                  occupied by low-income workers
and refugees. We also looked at how other                  Ensuring equitable access to economic
regions are responding in this crisis to                         opportunity and removing barriers that
inform our priorities.                                          have historically precluded BIPOC workers,
immigrants, and refugees from accessing quality
jobs
Working across sectors to identify solutions that
include human services, advocacy, and policy
Selecting strategies informed by research,
evidence, and data, as well as perspectives from
industry, labor, community, and partners
Leading with innovation and best practices in
workforce development, resisting the status quo
and other real or perceived constraints


4                                            REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
COVID-19 I MPACT
Since the onset of COVID-19 in M arch 2020, the
pandemic has devastated the regio n's economy,
workforce, health, and public wel l-being. We sought
to understand the economic impa cts of the global
pandemic on:
Workers
Sectors
Occupations
Geography
Qualitative feedback from the com munity suggests
that many BIPOC communities, i  mmigrants, and
refugees are in distress, struggling with financial,
health, family needs, and navigati ng multiple systems
to access resources and supports. An analysis of state
Unemployment Insurance (UI) cla ims further affirms
the disproportionate adverse econ omic impacts
experienced by these communities . A history of
economic marginalization due to systemic racism,
occupational segregation, and bia s in hiring have
contributed to economic injustice and resulted in the
overrepresentation of BIPOC wor kers, immigrants and
refugees in sectors hit hardest by j ob loss, as well as
in low-wage occupations. This ec onomic hardship is
further exacerbated as BIPOC and immigrant workers
are facing increased exposure to C OVID-19, working
as caregivers, healthcare professio nals, grocery store
workers, delivery people, and oth er essential jobs.







WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF SEATTLE-KING COUNTY                                                 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
RECOVERY OUTLOOK
We examined core drivers of economic recovery, trends in the changing nature
of workoften accelerated or exacerbated by the pandemicand qualitative
research on recovery in the region. There is general consensus among global
business leaders that we should assume a recurrence of the virus, slow
long-term growth, and a muted world recovery in the next one to two
years.
Three factors will determine the timing and pace of the nation's
economic recovery:
Consumer behavior
Development of a vaccine
Federal relief and stimulus
Recovery will also accelerate or exacerbate trends present prior
to the pandemic, including:
Rising income and racial inequality
Shifts in global supply chains
Increase in automation and digitization in business
operations, including e-commerce
Increase in remote work across many industries
Taken together, these factors will greatly shape the
nature of work during and after the pandemic.

NEW VS CONTINUING
CLAIMS
When individuals apply for
Unemployment Insurance (UI) for
the first time, they are recorded
as new claims for that week. The
total of all individuals receiving
UI at a given time is recorded as
continuing claims.


6                                            REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
WORKER RECOVERY
Recovery is slower for people of color, women, and workers with lower levels of
educational attainment who are even more disproportionately represented among
continuing UI claims than new UI claims:
Blacks/African Americans make up 13.4 percent of continuing UI claims,
more than double their 6.1 percent representation in the labor force. By
contrast, whites make up 46.6 percent of continuing UI claims, compared to
60.4 percent of the labor force. This disproportionate pattern also holds true
for American Indians/Alaska Natives and Pacific Islanders.
Women are disproportionately represented among continuing UI claims.
Women make up 47.7 percent of continuing UI claims, compared to 45.7
percent of the labor force. By contrast, men make up 51.8 percent of
continuing UI claims, compared to 54.3 percent of the labor force.
Workers with lower levels of educational attainment are also overrepresented
among continuing UI claims. For example, those with a high school diploma
or GED make up 26.3 percent of continuing UI claims, more than double
their 13 percent representation in the labor force. By contrast, those with a
BA or more make up 30.9 percent of continuing UI claims, about half their
58 percent representation in the labor force.

SECTOR RECOVERY
Regional recovery is happening at a slow pace and varies by sector. Some sectors in the regional
economy are starting to show signs of recovery in the short term, as indicated by decreases in
continuing UI claims, increases in job postings, and changes in estimated employment since the
peak of unemployment.
The construction sector was initially hard hit by COVID-19, with new UI claims representing
32 percent of construction jobs. Since the peak of unemployment associated with COVID-19,
continuing UI claims have dropped 76 percent, job postings have increased 38 percent, and
estimated employment has increased by 36,900. Estimated year-to-year employment is down less
than two percent, or 1,300 jobs.
Other sectors showing signs of recovery include:
Some subsectors of manufacturing (e.g., computer and electronic products)
Retail trade (e.g., food and beverage stores and non-store retailers)
Some subsectors of transportation and warehousing (e.g. warehousing and storage)
Information technology
Professional and technical services
Some subsectors of health care and social assistance

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF SEATTLE-KING COUNTY                                                    7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
NORTH STARS
This plan is aimed at two north stars:
EQUITABLE ECONOMIC RECOVERY and JOB QUALITY.
TENETS
These north stars (described in more
detail in Section IV) are undergirded by
the following tenets:
Recovery as an opportunity to
rebuild better
Centering equity
Re-envisioning workforce
development; and                                       JOB QUALITY
Broadening measures of success,
including redefining job quality                 Raises the expectation and commitment of all
partners in the workforce system to:
1. Improve the quality of existing jobs where
EQUITABLE ECONOMIC        BIPOC workers, immigrants and refugees
are over-represented.
RECOVERY          2. Placing BIPOC workers, immigrants and
refugees not into just any job, but into a
Anchored on a recovery effort that prioritizes              quality job with livable wages and benefits,
the inclusion of BIPOC workers and other                opportunities for advancement and
economically marginalized communities; and the          assurances of a safe and healthy workplace.
dismantling of structural and systemic racism
across our institutions, such that all workers
regardless of race or ethnicity have equitable
access to high quality jobs and share in the
region's economic prosperity.






8                                            REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
SECTOR ANALYSIS
Sector strategies, or the practice of targeting economic efforts to the unique
workforce challenges faced by industry sectors, are a b uilding block in the focus of
this plan. As the foundation for a sector-based career p athway approach, this has
shown greater success than training programs placing a dults and dislocated workers
into one-off, short-term trainings and low-wage jobs.
SECTOR STRATEGIES:                                CRITERIA:
Help low-income adults and people of color obtai n                   Size and presence of sector in regional
quality, living-wage jobs in targeted sectors and                      economy
occupations                                                    Short-term job recovery/growth
Engage employers and unions as partners in the ef fort                Longer-term job recovery/growth
Create systemic change within the labor market                       Wages and benefits
Education and training requirements
SECTOR ASSESSMENT                Career pathways
Workplace safety
For this plan, we conducted a sector assessment to iden tify               Sectory engagement, commitment and
opportunity sectors using a set of eight criteria. Sectors were               readiness
first evaluated regionally against quantitative indicator s
(size/presence & short-term indicators of recovery). We then
evaluated sectors with significant regional presence and
signs of short-term recovery against subjective criteria
including job quality and industry readiness.
OPPORTUNITY SECTORS
Using the assessment rubric and criteria, we identified  opportunity
sectors. While there were no sectors that rated high acr oss all criteria,
some showed promise in several criteria, while others p resent barriers
to job access for workers of color, and/or opportunities to improve
job quality.
Taken together, our analysis identified seven critical sec tors:
Construction
Manufacturing
Retail Trade
Transportation and Warehousing
Information Technology (IT)
Healthcare
Maritime
(Additional detail on Opportunity Sectors can be found in Section V).

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF SEATTLE-KING COUNT Y                                                    9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
STRATEGIES
This plan prioritizes strategies informed by research and the
identification of innovative national and regional practices aimed at
equitable economic recovery. We evaluated strategies for their promise
of impact as well as the degree of difficulty in their implementation.
Many of the strategies will require collaboration and commitment from
multiple partners in the workforce ecosystem. Their execution will
necessitate the regional workforce system evolving into an innovative,
industry and outcome-driven system with racial equity at its core.
A NEW APPROACH IS NECESSARY
The workforce development system has historically emphasized skills,
training, and job placement. Our recovery strategies in critical sectors are
anchored in opportunities for skill building and expanding career-based
pathways within specific sectors, or are emerging in collaboration with
sector leadership and other partners.                                       " EQUITABLE ECONOMIC
However, in many instances an exclusive emphasis on skills                          RECOVERY WILL
development does not lead to employment, or at best places individuals           REQUIRE AN EXPLICIT
into low-wage jobs. Without addressing the barriers to work and higher
quality jobs that low-income workers and workers of color often face,              AND INTENTIONAL
we are likely to exacerbate existing income disparity and occupational             SET OF STRATEGIES
segregation.                                                                        TO SUPPORT BIPOC
BARRIERS TO WORK                                       WORKERS, IMMIGRANTS,
Lack of financial resources to pay for education and training                AND REFUGEESTHOSE
Lack of access to supports that enable work (childcare and                      HISTORICALLY LEFT
transportation)                                                            BEHIND AND AT RISK OF
Exclusionary policies that relegate BIPOC to low-wage jobs with
little to no opportunity for growth and advancement                        FURTHER ECONOMIC
Structural racism                                                                     MARGINALIZATION.
EXPANDING SCOPE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE                                        "
The strategies presented in this report recognize and include critical elements: advocacy and changes in policies 
that remove barriers and increase access to jobs; as well as systemic chang es to dismantle racialized practices that
historically result in inequitable economic outcomes for BIPOC workers, i  mmigrants, and refugees.
By design, each strategy centers equity and is explicit in its intent to suppo rt BIPOC workers, immigrants,
refugees, and other historically marginalized workers. Sector strategies are featured prominently as a part of
recovery strategies, informed by our sector analysis and identification of opportunity sectors (as defined in Section
V).
These strategies have a broad scope with many targeted impacts, but they may still be insufficient for some
populations who face particular barriers to employment. As such, we developed additional strategies specific to
opportunity youth and the immigrant and refugee community.
10                                                          REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
OUTLINE OF PROPOSED STRATEGIES
ORGANIZATION        IMMEDIATE RELIEF STRATEGIES
-   INVEST IN SUBSIDIZED TRANSITIONAL EMPLOYMENT WITH
PATHWAYS
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
-   EXPAND CAPACITY OF UI CLAIMS SYSTEM TO ENSURE MORE
RELIEF STRATEGIES                         EQUITABLE ACCESS
RECOVERY STRATEGIES              REC  OVERY STRATEGIES
POPULATION-BASED STRATEGIES          -  ADVANCE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS AND STRATEGIES
ADVOCACY                       -  EXPAND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS
-   INVEST IN DIGITAL LITERACY
SYSTEMS CHANGE                   -  EXPAND ACCESS TO CREDENTIALS WITH LABOR MARKET VALUE
RAPIDLY AND AT SCALE, ESPECIALLY FOR WORKERS OF COLOR
(See Section VI and the Strategy
Summary for more detail)          POP  ULATION-BASED STRATEGIES
YO UTH
-   INVEST IN AND PRIORITIZE YOUTH OF COLOR
-   ENSURE WORK EXPERIENCE IS HIGH QUALITY AND LINKED TO
EMPLOYERS AND PATHWAYS IN IN-DEMAND FIELDS
-   EMBED YOUTH VOICE IN PLANNING, PROCESS, AND SERVICE
DELIVERY
-   HIGHLIGHT NAVIGATION AND SUPPORT
IM MIGRANTS/REFUGEES
-   INCREASE LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
-   INVEST IN, AND SCALE-UP WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MODELS
IN WASHINGTON STATE THAT CREATE BRIDGES TO VOCATIONAL
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, OFFER
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS OFFERED IN LANGUAGES OTHER
THAN ENGLISH, AND PROGRAMS THAT FOCUS ON CREDENTIALS
FOR FOREIGN-EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS
ADV OCACY
-   LEVERAGE CREATIVE FUNDING MODELS
-   EXPAND PORTABLE BENEFITS AND WRAP-AROUND SUPPORTS
-   ELIMINATE PROHIBITIVE POLICIES TO SUSPENDING AND
REINSTATING DRIVER'S LICENSES
-   REMOVE CRIMINAL BACKGROUND AS A BARRIER TO
EMPLOYMENT
-   PARTNER WITH EMPLOYERS AND INDUSTRY ON EQUITABLE
RECOVERY COMMITMENTS
SYS TEMS CHANGE
-   STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ECONOMIC AND
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
-   MEASURE AND TRACK EQUITABLE ECONOMIC RECOVERY
-   INVEST IN DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE
-   BUILD MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY INFLUENCE
AND POWER
-   BUILD INTERNAL ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY ON EQUITY
11

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN
OUR UNIQUE ROLE & PARTNERSHIPS
BUILDING ON A TRANSFORMATION ROADMAP
This plan is intended as a high-level blueprint for the region's workforce and recovery efforts.
The Regional Strategic Plan builds on the Regional Workforce Transformation Plan, which directed the WDC to
facilitate an inclusive process to develop a 3-5 year regional workforce development strategy to:
Prioritize employment and training for those who face the most barriers to opportunity, prioritizing
strategies and funding that promote racial equity.
Improve coordination between employers, labor, and educators to make sure job seekers are prepared for the
best career opportunities available right now.
Better align local, federal, and philanthropic funding to maximize impact and produce better results; and
Leverage and coordinate federal, city, county and state funds to create efficiencies for the delivery of
workforce development services.
PARTNERS NEEDED TO SUCCEED              OUR OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP
Implementation of these regional strategies
will require extensive planning, leadership, and            Most of the proposed strategies will require shared
partnership from:                                        ownership and collaboration across sectors and
organizations, as they are highly dependent on the
Other workforce development entities
actions and commitments of others.
Government
Industry                                                  The WDC is well positioned to lead or has the
Labor                                                     potential to fulfill leadership gaps to drive a subset of
Community colleges                                     the strategies proposed in this plan, as envisioned in
Educational and training partners                      its regional transformation, including:
Community-based organizations                           Invest in Subsidized Transitional Employment w/
Pathways
ADVOCACY                                Advance Sector Partnerships and Strategies
The WDC will leverage its voice in partnership to             Co-Create & Co-Invest in High-Demand Career
fulfill this plan's acknowledgment of advocacy and             Pathways
policy as a powerful lever in driving systems change.
Partner w/Employers & Industry on Equitable
Historically, the organization has not played an
Recovery Commitments
intentional role on this front. As this is a new role for
the WDC, new organizational capabilities will be built         Measure & Track Equitable Economic Recovery
to use the organization's voice and advocacy (within           Build Meaningful and Sustainable Community
the bounds of its legal authority) to support advocates          Influence & Power
in executing the strategies articulated in the plan.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The WDC will expand its role as the regional backbone organization to lead research and innovation in support
of this plan. The WDC will leverage its current resources and partnerships in addition to expanding research,
data and evaluation, prototyping, and strategy and policy development capabilities. By partnering across
federal, state, and local systems, pairing that with a unique system convener role and partnership with BIPOC
and immigrant communities, the WDC will bring resources and insight into the challenges facing communities
furthest from opporutnity.
12                                                          REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LABOR MARKET