Labor, Employment, & Workforce Development

ECONorthwest understands the region's workforce development system, and the programs and investments that support it.

Over the past three decades, workers have increasingly struggled to find stable employment with good wages. U.S. productivity has surged, but this is largely because companies are producing more goods and services with less labor. For example,

• Automation has spread into service occupations.
• Drafters and accountants have lost jobs to AutoCAD and TurboTax.
• Electronic discovery has wiped out some paralegal jobs.
• Shoppers can self-check groceries and rent videos from vending machines.

As time goes on, machines will do more of our repetitive work, and workers will find limited opportunities for such jobs in the labor market.

How ECONorthwest Can Help

Recognizing these trends, most states and metropolitan regions have set ambitious goals to dramatically boost the educational attainment of their populations and retrain adults as they move through their prime working years. Robust and efficient workforce development systems will be critical to meeting these goals. At the same time, federal and state fiscal crises put funding for workforce development at risk. To survive in an era of increasing demands and ever-scarcer resources, workforce developers need to be armed with rigorous evidence that their programs make a difference.

At ECONorthwest, we help workforce agencies, colleges, and nonprofit service providers identify and communicate their impact in a clear and concise manner. Our services include:

• Evaluation of workforce development programs, using both quantitative and qualitative program evaluation methods to measure outcomes.
• Analyzing the return on investment for workforce development funding.
• Regional resource mapping for workforce development funding.
• Assessing the workforce development pipeline, from high school to postsecondary education to workforce entry.

ECONorthwest also offers litigation support in employment disputes and labor negotiations.

Interested in learning more about how ECONorthwest can help you with your next project? Our toolbox is full and our staff enjoy meeting new challenges.