Introducing the Workforce Index: A Shared View of Our Regional Labor Market
Labor markets don't stand still. Employment levels shift. Hiring patterns change. Wages adjust. Industries expand or contract. For anyone working in workforce development—whether you're supporting jobseekers, designing training programs, planning for talent needs, or shaping policy—having a clear, current view of these dynamics is essential.
But getting that view isn't always straightforward. Labor market data exists in multiple places, updated on different schedules, often requiring interpretation or context to be useful. And while individual data points tell part of the story, it's the combination of indicators—unemployment, job postings, wages, cost of living, layoffs—that reveals what's actually happening in the regional economy and what it means for workers and employers.
That's why the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County is launching the Workforce Index: a monthly resource that brings together key public labor market indicators into a single, accessible dashboard. Each month, it provides a localized snapshot of employment conditions across Seattle-King County, designed to support better-informed decisions across the workforce ecosystem.
Over the past several months, we've piloted this tool internally, and the insights it has surfaced have already sparked important conversations about regional economic trends and workforce strategies. We're excited to now share this resource broadly with our community.
The Workforce Index serves case managers, jobseekers, training providers, employers, economic developers, and policymakers—all of whom rely on a common understanding of labor market conditions to do their work effectively. It's built to be a shared reference point, grounding conversations and decisions in current, transparent data.
What makes this resource distinct is not just the data it includes, but the perspective behind it. As the organization that administers the regional workforce development system, WDC has access to program insights and data that allow us not only to observe labor market trends, but to help shape responses to them—connecting labor market signals to career pathways, training investments, and economic opportunity.
This initial release is intentionally focused and foundational. It establishes a common set of indicators using transparent, publicly available data, and provides a starting point for understanding what is happening in the Seattle–King County labor market month to month. Over time, it will expand to explore deeper questions about economic mobility, equity, and opportunity—and how data can support better outcomes for workers and employers alike.
Our Vision
The Workforce Index is not intended to be static. Our long-term vision is to grow it into a trusted resource that supports deeper understanding of labor market dynamics and career pathways over time.
As it evolves, the Workforce Index may incorporate:
More nuanced views of outcomes and disparities across communities
Signals of emerging trends and structural shifts in the economy
Analysis that helps illuminate the long-term impacts of policy, technology, and economic change
Connections to workforce program data and outcomes, where appropriate and actionable
Throughout its development, the focus will remain on advancing economic mobility and job quality—not simply reporting data, but using analysis and storytelling to help people interpret what the data means and how it can be used.
Our goal is to support better alignment across the workforce system by grounding decisions in shared information, while remaining transparent about data sources, limitations, and methodology.
A Living Resource—Built with Stakeholders
This first release marks the beginning of an ongoing process, not a finished product.
We are launching the Workforce Index alongside a structured feedback process to ensure it reflects the real information needs of the region. We are asking stakeholders across the workforce ecosystem:
What data do you rely on to inform your work?
What's missing from the current snapshot?
What additional context would make this resource more actionable?
Feedback gathered through this process will directly inform future enhancements, helping us prioritize new indicators, analytical lenses, and connections to career pathways that better support decision-making.
By publishing monthly updates and iterating in partnership with stakeholders, the Workforce Index will continue to grow in relevance and usefulness—serving as a shared foundation for understanding the labor market and strengthening economic opportunity across Seattle–King County.