The Inland Northwest is fortunate to have a talented labor pool, but the Spokane business community as a whole must take a proactive approach to workforce development to maintain depth—or in some sectors, to keep that pool from getting more shallow.

Otherwise, a lack of available workers could become a drag on economic growth.

Of course, a number of schools and organizations have initiatives underway that are preparing the next generation of professionals and tradespeople, and those efforts aren’t to be discounted. 

However, trends in some sectors suggest more needs to be done. Spokane-area home builders, for example, have attributed slow growth in new home construction in part to a lack of available workers. In a March interview, Elaine Couture, Spokane-based regional chief executive of Providence Health Care, talked with the Journal about an anticipated shortage of professionals in a range of health care professions, naming physicians, nurses, pharmacists and social workers specifically.

Meantime, companies that are looking to relocate to Spokane are more focused on available workforce now than they’ve been in the past, according to Robin Toth, vice president of business development for Greater Spokane Incorporated.

Where companies looking to establish a presence in Spokane previously had been concerned largely with accessibility, transportation, and telecommunications, they are now focused on workforce availability, business climate, cost of living, and cost of doing business.

Regarding priorities for potential employers, Toth says, “(Workforce availability) isn’t always No. 1, but it’s always close to No. 1. It’s always in that top tier.” 

Fortunately, companies still are finding what they’re looking for in Spokane’s labor pool. Toth points to the success of Rover.com, the Seattle-based dog sitting website operator that opened a second office in Spokane last year. That company is now projecting that it could employ up to 100 people here by the end of the year, she says.

Data from the Washington state Employment Security Department indicate the workforce is still growing. The most recent jobs report shows that employers in the Spokane Metropolitan Statistical Area added 1,300 jobs in February, the most recent month for which data is available. The jobless rate in Spokane County in February was 6.7 percent. Combined, those numbers certainly don’t suggest any sort of stagnation.

Even so, that workforce is graying, with the average ages in some professions creeping into the high 50s. The Social Security Administration has estimated about 10,000 baby boomers retire each day, and some calculations suggest that number might be a little low. Those retirees take with them not only skills, but also years of institutional knowledge. Now is the time for the Spokane business community to come together to ensure we’re doing what we need to stay ahead of looming worker shortages.