Looks like Seattle’s job market is feeling less these days like a rocket launch and more like a flat tire - jobs are disappearing, unemployment is inching up, and everything just seems saggy. Even the tech giants aren’t immune, as they're unfortunately leading the decline.
Here are Five Fast Facts about Seattle's poor job situation:
- 💨 Jobs Be Gone - The Seattle metro area shed 4,200 roles in the first four months of 2025, with King County rising to 5.1% unemployment (compared to the state average of 4.6%). #wompwomp
- 🧮 Less High Tech - The powerhouse of Seattle for years, the tech sector had a 2.3% drop in employment year over year. Not only are giants like Microsoft and Amazon laying off thousands, but small businesses are struggling under the increasing minimum wage. It's like all those high tech jobs suddenly rebooted and never came back.
- 🤦 Winning The Wrong Things - Seattle's job losses are driving Washington State to the 2nd worst employment situation in the country (behind California). Policies that stifle business growth through higher wages and more regulations help about as much as pinching the hose on a scuba diver's tank to make him swim faster.
- 😖 No Thanks - Increases in serious crime and dangerous protests don't help the city's image, and normal folks just decide they can do without the city, which compounds the struggle of the businesses that are there.
- 🤯 But Wait, There's More - And in the background of all this is Governor Ferguson declaring that the state is still in massive budgetary hot water and everyone needs to cut their budgets even further...despite just signing into law the latest budget that increases taxes that will hit everyone in one way or another. It's like if you're drowning while holding five children, and someone hands you a sixth...really not helpful!
🔥Bottom line: In short, Seattle’s once-booming job scene is now looking more like a half-inflated balloon. Tech, small biz, and government are all harshing the city's mellow. There are a lot of things that can be done, but those in power haven't really shown much willingness to do them. How bad will it get before they take actions that actually help?
What do you think needs to be done?
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