2023 legislative review
Workforce , Education and Child Care
Amy Anderson : Education and Workforce Development
At the start of the 2023 legislative session , Washington ’ s labor market was strong with some signs of cooling . The state unemployment rate was 4.1 % in March and the national unemployment rate reached a 50-year low of 3.4 %. In the resilient labor market , many employers still struggle to find qualified applicants , though the challenge has eased . Issues such as child care and high housing costs will continue to worsen labor shortages .
Although workforce and education were not primary areas of focus for lawmakers this session , there were important bills to allow health care professionals to work across multiple states ( see the health care section for details ), which will help ease workforce challenges . Another bill expedites licensing for military spouses moving to Washington , legislation that AWB has advocated for several years . There were two missed opportunities , however , to increase the ability of mental health counselors and teachers to work across state lines .
The state ’ s child care crisis is strongly linked to workforce shortages . The lack of child care keeps many parents from returning to work , straining families and employers . Lawmakers passed two bills to boost child care availability and affordability . One bill expands subsidies in the Working Child Care Connections program to help more families afford child care . Another eliminates background check fees for child care employees to speed up hiring .
This session , legislators missed two opportunities to bolster the child care workforce , which lost many workers during the pandemic and has been slow to recover . HB 1451 aimed to encourage the next generation of child care workers and expand the pool of substitute child care providers , while HB 1716 proposed a B & O tax credit for employers to help their employees pay for child care . Unfortunately , both bills died this session .
AWB Government Affairs Director Amy Anderson speaks in Seattle during a statewide tour of child care centers this summer with legislators , the AWB Institute and the Children ’ s Campaign Fund Action .
In the area of K-12 education , lawmakers passed a bill to expand access to dual credit programs , such as Running Start and College in the High School . AWB supports dual credit programs to enable students to earn college credit and explore career pathways while in high school . Two other bills expand work-based training , including opportunities to earn high school credit for paid work experience and access apprenticeships .
In the operating budget , lawmakers approved salary increases for staff at Washington ’ s community and technical colleges . Pay for community and technical college instructors has lagged and they are losing staff to better paying positions at K-12 schools , universities and other colleges . The pay increases will help colleges retain instructors and maintain programs that are integral to helping solve workforce challenges .
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