May 2025 | Issue 61
The latest labor market data
We’re excited to announce a new monthly video series called the Labor Market Minute. Washington's Chief Labor Economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman shares highlights of the monthly employment report in each video. Learn about national and state unemployment rates and what employment industries are growing and slowing.
Each month, we will share the Labor Market Minute with you in this newsletter, as well as on our social media channels. Watch this month’s Labor Market Minute on YouTube and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
You can find the monthly employment report on our website.
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Free business workshops in May
Washington state's Small Business Liaison Team offers free events to help businesses grow and thrive. Workshops and webinars include information about regulations, permits, hiring, employee retention and more.
Check out in-person "Start to Smart" workshops covering starting and growing your business. Two-hour workshops are scheduled May 13 and 14 in Pullman, Clarkston and Dayton.
Find registration links and more information on the Business.wa.gov website.
June webinar for county and city government employers
Learn how local-government employers can use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) as a no-cost tool to recruit and retain employees.
PSLF is a federal program that forgives the balance of some student loans. Borrowers first need to make approximately 10 years of payments while working full time for an eligible public employer.
As of December 2024, 47% of recently surveyed employees said that the promise of earning loan forgiveness through PSLF affected their decision to begin working in public service. And 65% said that PSLF influenced their decision to stay in public service for at least 10 years.
Join the Washington Student Achievement Council for a webinar at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10.
PSLF experts will give you:
- An overview of the PSLF program.
- PSLF resources and best practices.
Register on Zoom.
Help us improve your experience with your employer account
The Paid Family & Medical Leave and WA Cares programs are working to improve your employer experience, which includes the screens you use when you log into your employer account. We’re looking for people to test proposed updates we plan to make.
You’ll help our team better understand your needs, so we can include them in future enhancements. We want to hear from you!
If you're interested in participating, please take about 5 minutes to answer a few questions and give us your contact information in an online survey.
Share and subscribe
This monthly “Employer Newsletter” contains information important to Washington employers. Please stay on our mailing list!
If someone else from your business is a more appropriate person to receive it, you can unsubscribe yourself and resubscribe with that person’s email address.
You also can share this email with others who might be interested.
Find links to past issues on the Employment Security Department website.
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