‘New Data, New Possibilities’ workforce forum

SPEEA, WSLC, and Washington state partners are hosting a virtual forum sharing new data on the state’s job landscape

OLYMPIA, WA (April 2, 2026) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (WSLC) and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, IFPTE Local 2001 (SPEEA) will host an upcoming virtual forum New Data, New Possibilities: Reimagining Workforce Insights with Washington’s New Occupation Dataat the end of this month. The event is organized in partnership with the Washington Employment Security Department and Washington Workforce Board and will be held April 23 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Washington labor movement adopted a resolution several years ago highlighting gaps in occupation-specific labor market information and calling on the WSLC to advocate for enhanced workforce and education data collection. That resolution was put forth because gaps in data lead to policies, programs and investments driven by anecdotes that can undercut workers’ lived experience and negatively impact outcomes for students, workers and businesses. As an example, see a recent op-ed by the Washington Building & Construction Trades Council about the harm of flawed assertions of a skill shortage.

Thanks to the leadership of Washington State Senator Vandana Slatter and a coalition of advocates, Washington adopted groundbreaking legislation in 2020 that led to Washington being one of only a handful of states to collect occupation data from almost all employers. Join us on April 23 to learn more about the significance of this data, how Washington is paving the way for national efforts and to consider what more is possible.

Speakers and panelists joining the forum include Sen. Vandana Slatter, Jon Furr (Strada Education Foundation), Erica Groshen (former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner), Bonnie Nelson (Gates Foundation – Washington State Initiative), Michael Schultz (UW Evans School of Public Policy & Governance), Jeff Strohl (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce).

All are welcome at the New Data, New Possibilities forum. For more information and to register visit here.