Archive

Minimum Wage

In 1909, Winston Churchill said that no one "should receive less than a living wage in return for the utmost exertion." On October 24, 1938, President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act establishing a $0.25 per hour minimum wage.

Volume: 22 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Economic Timeline

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

A Lump of Coal

If you sense some frustration with this outlook, you are right. Based on the behavior of the national economy this year, it deserves a lump of coal in its holiday stocking.

Volume: 21 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Economic Timeline

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

End of an Era

Era is perhaps an exaggeration, but it has been a long time. In October Puget Sound wage and salary jobs will likely reach 1,856,700. The last time employment hit that mark was February 2008...But it is time to forget the Great Recession--though not its lessons--and move on.

Volume: 21 - Number: 3

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Personal Income

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

Two Washingtons

First a clarification for the following discussion: the phrase "Two Washingtons" does not mean the state of Washington and that dysfunctional political body on the east coast. Rather, it refers to the Puget Sound region and the rest of the state.

Volume: 21 - Number: 2

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Regional Growth

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

It’s the Politics, Stupid

"It's the economy, stupid" was a campaign slogan used by Bill Clinton to defeat the incumbent president, George Bush, Sr., in the 1992 election. Now it seems that the catch phrase has been turned on its head.

Volume: 21 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Regional Forecasting

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

Not Over Yet

People went to the polls in November with raised hopes that the election would put an end to the misery brought about by the Great Recession...But instead we may get another downturn.

Volume: 20 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Estimating Population

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

Uncertainty

Uncertainty is what makes economic forecasters look for another job. It is also the reason why forecasting is fun.

Volume: 22 - Number: 3

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: The Jobless

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

The Fiscal Cliff

Politicians excel at debating issues and then doing nothing about them...But the Obama administration and Congress have come to the edge of what has been called the "fiscal cliff," and this time there is no backing away.

Volume: 20 - Number: 2

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Economic Resilience

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

The Promising Recovery

A funny thing happened on the way to this forecast: we tripped over bad data. But no harm was done. In fact, when we picked ourselves off the ground, the world looked better.

Volume: 20 - Number: 1

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Census Data

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen

Some Encouraging News

As bad as it was, we should not mistake the Great Recession for the Great Depression...Despite the fits and starts of the recovery, there are concrete signs that the Puget Sound economy is on the mend.

Volume: 19 - Number: 4

Leading Index Title:

Special Topic Title: Investment, Capital, and Output

Authors:

  • Dick Conway
  • Doug Pedersen