The Northwest Job Gap Study describes the job gap using the percent of job openings that pay a living wage and the ratio of the number of living wage job openings to the number of people looking for work.
Donate
Economic Justice Publications
Why Idaho Should Raise the Minimum Wage
Too many Idahoans are not making a living wage. Many families are supported by workers in minimum wage jobs. The minimum wage today, $5.15 an hour, is at its lowest real value since 1956. Today’s minimum wage is less than half a living wage for a single person, and less than a quarter of the wage a person would need to support a family of four. Two adults would have to work three full-time minimum wage jobs each to make a living wage for themselves and two children.
2006 Northwest Health Gap Study: Quality Health Insurance Out of Reach for Small Businesses
The Health Gap Study involves a survey of nearly 400 small businesses in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington on their experiences in the health insurance market. It addresses issues of rising costs and declining quality of coverage, along with small businesspeople preferences for future reform.
Living Wage Jobs in the Current Economy: 2006 Northwest Job Gap
- Northwest Job Gap Study
- Idaho Job Gap Study
- Montana Job Gap Study
- Oregon Job Gap Study
- Washington Job Gap Study
This report takes a close look at jobs that currently exist in the economy, and brings to the forefront the question of whether these jobs are providing wages that can truly support individuals and families.
Protect Idaho Farmworkers from Harmful Pesticides
Farmworkers are a crucial part of Idaho’s economic success and integral to our communities. A lack of adequate protections in Idaho leaves farmworkers vulnerable to accidental pesticide exposure, which causes immediate and long-term health problems.
Northwest Job Gap Study: Living Wage Jobs in the Economy
This report takes a close look at jobs that currently exist in the economy, and brings to the forefront the question of whether these jobs are providing wages that can truly support individuals and families.
Searching For Work That Pays: 2005 Northwest Job Gap Study
- Northwest Job Gap Study
- Idaho Job Gap Study
- Montana Job Gap Study
- Oregon Job Gap Study
- Washington Job Gap Study
The Northwest Job Gap Study calculates a basic family budget for different family structures. Based on this “living wage,” the study then estimates the number and proportion of job openings that provide a sufficient wage to support and individual or a family’s basic needs without relying on public assistance.
2005 Northwest Health Gap Study
Between high wage earners who have comprehensive employer-based health benefits, and the low-income people who are covered through public health programs, lies a rapidly growing population with no coverage or inadequate coverage. These people are in the health gap.
Searching For Work That Pays: 2004 Northwest Job Gap Study
- Northwest Job Gap Study
- Idaho Job Gap Study
- Montana Job Gap Study
- Oregon Job Gap Study
- Washington Job Gap Study
The Northwest Job Gap Study calculates a basic family budget for different family structures. Based on this “living wage,” the study then estimates the number and proportion of job openings that provide a sufficient wage to support and individual or a family’s basic needs without relying on public assistance.
Washington Lags Behind Other States in Corporate Disclosure and Accountability
States spend billions of dollars every year on tax breaks for businesses. A growing number of states require companies to disclose certain information on the tax breaks they have received. Disclosure allows states to evaluate the costs and benefits of tax breaks. States can monitor tax breaks by looking at job creation levels, job retention, wage bands, and benefits. With disclosure legislation in place, Washington legislators and private residents will have the information needed to change those tax breaks that are not working as intended and support those that are.
