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Summer 2016
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the county. It employs 16.6 percent
of the county’s workforce and pays
17.5 percent of the county’s wages.
Manufacturing, which employs about
13 percent of the labor force, pays 17.1
percent of the county’s wages.
Local employers in high-wage
employment sectors (government,
health care, and manufacturing)
reported that technology plays an
increasing role in what they do. Firms
are investing in information technol-
ogy (IT), technological systems, and
automation to remain competitive.
The increased use of different forms of
technology means that workers need
more skills when they are hired or
companies have to invest in additional
training. For example, a representa-
tive from a local manufacturing firm
reported that while automation of
the manufacturing process has not
necessarily resulted in fewer jobs, it
has required more training. Increased
investments in IT in the health care
field affect all levels of employment
and require additional training. Rapid
change in that sector means that
employees need to be flexible and
adaptable to keep up with new sys-
tems. While work at the Department
of Corrections (DOC) has not changed
significantly, greater incorporation of
technology, such as cameras and com-
puters, means that employees have to
be literate in those systems.
Low-wage sectors
Wages in Walla Walla County are, on
average, 12 percent lower than the
average wage in Washington State,
not including King County.
2
The
relatively low average wage is partly
due to large employment in low-
wage categories. Over 40 percent of
full-time jobs in Walla Walla County
pay $15 per hour or less; in Columbia
County, 33 percent of full-time jobs
pay $15 per hour or less. Agriculture,
with an average annual wage of
$26,165, is the third largest employ-
ment sector in Walla Walla County;
it employs 13.9 percent of the labor
force but accounts for only 9.3 percent
of the county’s wages. Average annual
wages are also low in accommoda-
tion and food services ($16,807), retail
trade ($26,046), arts and entertain-
ment ($20,842), and other services
except administrative ($19,783). The
table below shows the percentage of
total Walla Walla County wages paid,
the percentage of Walla Walla County
labor force employed and average an-
nual wage for low-wage sectors.
Growth and decline
Data from the Employment Secu-
rity Department show that over the
past decade regional employment
declined in construction, real estate,
finance, and insurance wholesale and
retail trade. Much of that decline is
related to the recession of 2009; those
sectors tend to recover more slowly
than others. Over that same period,
regional employment has grown in
transportation and warehousing;
professional and technical services;
and administrative and waste services.
Economic forecasters expect those
sectors to sustain steady growth
of around 2 to 3.5 percent per year
through 2023. Employment in con-
Sector
Percent of total
WallaWalla County
wages paid
Percent of WallaWalla
County labor force
employed
Average
annual
wage
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting
9.3
13.9
$26,165
Retail trade
5.5
8.3
$26,046
Accommodation and food services
2.6
6.1
$16,944
Other services, except public
administration
1.2
2.3
$19,783
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
0.4
0.8
$20,842
2
Wages in King County are so much higher than in other counties throughout the state that their inclusion skews the data. For example, the average wage in
Washington State including King County is $55,003; without King County it is $44,322 (2014).
LOW-WAGE SECTORS
SHARE OF WAGES, SHARE OF EMPLOYMENT, AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE
WALLA WALLA COUNTY, 2014
*
*Washington State Employment Security, adapted from the Port of Walla Walla (2015).