Blog

The research on austerity budgets

On the Oct. 8 episode of Inside Olympia, one of the guests was Speaker Laurie Jinkins. Host Austin Jenkins asked the speaker, “Republicans have said the worst possible thing you could do coming out of a recession is to raise taxes on people. What is the argument for considering sources of revenue, sources of taxation […]

State tax collections again exceed forecast

Yesterday’s monthly report from the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) on general fund revenue collections brought good news. For the sales tax, the use tax, the business and occupation tax, the public utility tax, the tobacco products tax, and penalties and interest (collectively the Revenue Act receipts), this report covers payments received between […]

Value of agricultural production in Washington was $9.495 billion in 2019, including a record high value of blueberries (as U.S. begins investigation of blueberry imports)

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that the value of agricultural production in Washington was $9.495 billion in 2019. That’s down from $9.682 billion in 2018. Value of production has been declining since it reached $10.719 billion in 2015. The top ten agricultural commodities in Washington in 2019 were apples, milk, potatoes, wheat, cattle, […]

In Washington 34,870 filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

This morning the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims. ESD reported a total of 34,870 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending October 3. Of this total, 22,324 initial claims were under the regular unemployment insurance program; 3,900 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance […]

Nationwide, 898,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted claims was 898,000 last week. This is up from the (upwardly revised) number of claims for the previous week, 845,000. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 866,250, up […]

Monthly employment report from the state employment security department

The state Employment Security Department released its Monthly Employment Report today. According to preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the state gained 2,400 jobs, net, seasonally adjusted (SA), from August to September. The private sector is estimated to have gained 12,100 jobs (SA) while the public sector lost 9,700 (SA). Most […]

State support for businesses and the economy

Yesterday Gov. Inslee announced the formation of the Washington Recovery Group. This is “a new state effort to help communities recover from the social and economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.” It will be housed in the Office of Financial Management and “will help state agencies coordinate with local governments, higher education and the […]

In Washington 28,858 filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week

This morning the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims. ESD reported a total of 28,858 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending October 3. Of this total, 15,496 initial claims were under the regular unemployment insurance program; 54,151 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance […]

Nationwide, 840,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted claims was 840,000 last week. This is down from the (upwardly revised) number of claims for the previous week, 849,000. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 857,000, down […]

Increasing aerospace taxes would be counterproductive for Washington

The news that Boeing will move 787 production from Everett to South Carolina is disappointing, though not unexpected given the crippling effects of COVID-19 on airplane demand. Gov. Inslee and others have responded by suggesting that Boeing should be paying more in state taxes. In a statement, Gov. Inslee said, “Boeing’s decision to take the […]