Employers across the state want to see businesses thrive and believe their new 15-year vision and identified economic metrics are a way to make that a reality. 

The Association of Washington Business (AWB) and Washington Roundtable’s say their Washington in the Making 2040 plan incorporates input from 4,200 Washingtonians, including civic leaders, chamber of commerce officials and other state residents via a survey and town hall meetings. 

The organizations’ leaders intend to use their plan to drive conversations about economic policy, regulation and labor to encourage economic growth, build infrastructure and create jobs, according to a release.  

“Now more than ever it’s important that we have a long-range plan for our state economy,” said AWB President Kris Johnson in a statement. “We know that we face a host of challenges, from a housing shortage and workforce gaps to a high cost and regulatory environment for entrepreneurs. How will we address those challenges? What do we want our state and the communities we call home to look like in 15 years?” 

To assess progress on the plan’s goals, AWB and Washington Roundtable have also put together a data dashboard called The Vitals. The dashboard includes data on 36 economic indicators that can be tracked at the state and county level.