Seattle Jobs Initiative has been a part of an ongoing evaluation and report on the status of Washington's working poor.  In 2004, SJI released Beyond the Bottom Line: Expanding Economic Opportunities for Washington's Working Families.  The report was part of a national effort supported by the Annie E. Casey, Ford and Rockefeller Foundations called the Working Poor Families Project. Together, the national effort released a 50-state report, Working Hard, Falling Short: America’s Working Families and the Pursuit of Economic Security, which echoes many of Seattle report’s findings. 

In March 2007, SJI released an update on low-income working families in Washington.  The report shows a mixed picture.  While an improved local job market and an increase in the state's minimum wage has led to increased incomes for some low income working families, many are still struggling.  The state has experienced muted wage growth and a persistent affordability gap in housing, furthering the trend toward more income and wage inequality.  Seattle Jobs Initiative proposes policy solutions to strengthen the position of working families.

View or download the reports.

2007 Legislative Session

As part of the Working Poor Families project, Seattle Jobs Initiative released a brief on the 2007 Washington State legislative session.  The brief analyzes legislation affecting employment and training for low-income residents.

View the legislative brief.