Employers across the four-county area asked to share challenges and
opportunities in “Job Sector Survey”
 

The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with local governments and economic development agencies, today launched the first-ever comprehensive survey of businesses across the four-county Puget Sound region.

The four-county “Job Sector Survey” builds on a 2010 survey that captured responses from nearly 1,200 King County businesses in 15 unique industry sectors. Along with benchmarking against the 2010 results, the 2011 Job Sector Survey will provide a richer illustration of the challenges, aspirations and opportunities for employers of all types and sizes. As in 2010, the data will be used as a guide for elected officials, policy-makers and community leaders when making decisions that impact the local economy.

Any business or organization with operations in the four-county area is encouraged to take the survey. The survey is accessible via seattlechamber.com and partner organizations will send invitations to participate beginning today. Responses will be collected until August 11. Each survey respondent will be entered to win two Southwest Airlines Green LUV tickets.

“The more businesses that return the survey, the better we can understand how to grow jobs in our region and get people back to work,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “An accurate picture of what it takes to attract new businesses and support the businesses that are here will help us in government foster the climate for a prosperous and sustainable economy.”

“Our region needs to have a united front if we are going to compete on the world stage,” said Phil Bussey, president & CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. “The four-county Job Sector Survey gives us incredible insights for a shared agenda that leverages our strengths and addresses potential pitfalls inhibiting our success.”

Along with King County and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the survey is supported by the Prosperity Partnership, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King CountyenterpriseSeattle, the Economic Alliance Snohomish County, the Pierce County Economic Development Division, the Kitsap Economic Development AllianceThe Seattle Times and the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development.

 “The Job Sector Survey is unique because it provides broad data about the health of our regional economy while allowing us to drill down on conditions specific to job sectors and geographic locations,” said Bob Drewel, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council.

“The Job Sector Survey helps us answer two questions vitally important to growing our economy. First, what does your business need in order to be successful here? Second, what is our community’s unique value proposition to business?  Knowing the answer to these questions allows us to alleviate obstacles and deliver the appropriate message to companies considering locating operations here,” said Jeff Marcell, president of enterpriseSeattle.

“Seattle has such a unique mixture of industry sectors and clusters. For us, this survey helps the city understand how we can best use our resources to support their growth,” said Steve Johnson, director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development.

A portion of the survey focuses on degrees, vocational training and skills needed by employers. “Having information on what employers need by sector is essential to the development and implementation of training programs. With it, we can equip those entering the workforce as well as those already in it with the right tools for success,” said Marléna Sessions, CEO of the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County.

                Since multiple organizations will be sending invitations, a single employer may get the survey from several sources. To verify data, participants will be asked to provide contact information. These details will remain confidential and no attribution to individuals will be made.

Additional partners are welcome. For details, contact George Allen at the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce at georgea@seattlechamber.com or (206) 389-7268.

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