The Washington Roundtable released a report Tuesday stating that 25,000 high-skill jobs in Washington are going to be unfilled. The Roundtable calls on lawmakers to increase funding in high-demand fields at Washington’s universities to produce more qualified applicants and fill the growing skills-gap.
The Seattle Times and Crosscut covered the story here and here.
“We’ve demonstrated that if you invest in higher education, there’s a clear return on investment. When you try to think how we should invest our scarce economic-development resources, we’re suggesting this should be the priority,” said Steve Mullin, president of the Roundtable.
The Roundtable is comprised of CEO’s from the largest companies in the region.
The Times also published an editorial Tuesday urging lawmakers to fund more seats in these high-demand fields to unblock the pipeline for future workers. The editorial board cites findings in the Roundtable’s report to support their message to the Legislature.
The report is released at a crucial time during the legislative session as lawmakers are in the process of writing the next two-year budget for the state.