Washington Business 2018 AWB Rural Jobs Outlook | Page 5

Rural Jobs Outlook
Participants in the Rural Jobs Summit identified
the following issues as their top areas of concern:
Workforce
A skilled, trained workforce is difficult
to recruit and retain in rural parts of
Washington state.
Tax fairness
The manufacturing sector, while
diverse, needs a tax system that applies
incentives fairly across industry sectors
in order to expand job growth in rural
parts of the state.
Infrastructure
Expansion and maintenance of critical
infrastructure in the rural areas of
Washington state is critically lacking,
making it difficult grow and recruit
business and jobs.
Broadband
Up-to-date, reliable and available
broadband is a significant gap in the
state’s rural infrastructure.
Regulatory reform
Support for rural economic development
through regulatory and economic
development measures is sparse.
Republican lawmakers
from the House and
Senate at AWB’s
Rural Jobs Summit
in Moses Lake.