business backgrounder | manufacturing constantly spinning off new opportunities , new ways of doing business , and new ways of thinking .
AWB president Kris Johnson explains his reasons for wanting to see the report now .
“ We knew tech and manufacturing led the state out of the last recession . As we look now to the post-pandemic economic recovery , we wanted to document the importance of these industries , which we believe will again drive the recovery ,” he says . “ It ’ s easy to take our state ’ s success for granted . We think it ’ s important to understand the vital contributions these firms make to our economy , in order to shape policies that encourage their retention and expansion here .”
key findings
The report , drafted by economist Spencer Cohen , founder and principal of High Peak Strategy , makes Johnson ’ s point :
• In 2019 , manufacturing alone
590,100
The total number of jobs in Washington in the manufacturing and Information & Communication Technology ( ICT ) sectors .
AWB ’ s new Manufacturing & Technology Study notes the increasing overlap between these two categories .
“ Other states would just kill to have what Washington has .” employed more than 300,000 workers , amounting to 9 % of the state ’ s nonfarm workforce . The sector generated more than 11 % of gross state
— Spencer Cohen , founder and principal of High Peak Strategy product , with gross receipts of more than $ 190 billion , 20 % of all gross business income in the state .
• Twenty-three counties have more than 1,000 manufacturing employees , including seven counties with at least 10,000 workers , led by King County ( 105,400 ) and Snohomish ( 60,500 ).
• The information and communication technology ( ICT ) sector directly employed more than a quarter of a million workers . The high-wage sector has an employment multiplier of 3.7 ( every tech job creates another 2.7 jobs ) the highest among the state ’ s largest industries , meaning that the industry accounts for more than a million total jobs .
• Although tech is highly concentrated in King County , twelve counties have at least 1,000 ICT workers .
• The two industries accounted for more than $ 6 billion in direct and secondary tax payments to the state budget in 2019 .
AWB ’ s Manufacturing and Technology Study :
• The lines distinguishing tech and manufacturing are increasingly www . awb . org / manufacturing-and-technology-study being blurred , as manufacturers often develop software and ICT businesses design and build hardware . spring 2021 39