The geographic location of employment in the region is a key data input used to support various regional transportation, economic development, and land use planning and modeling activities. However, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) establishment data that serves as the basis of the PSRC’s regional covered employment database has an important reporting limitation: in many instances, large employers report one centralized payroll office rather than listing the multiple places where their employees actually work.

To address this issue, efforts are undertaken to obtain more accurate information. The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) asks private sector employers to list separate workplaces using a Multiple Worksite Report (MWR). To further improve data quality for our region, PSRC conducts a supplemental survey of job locations for the following employers:

The Boeing Company: A regionally significant employer with numerous locations, the Boeing Company voluntarily provides location and job count information to PSRC.

Schools: Locations and job totals for all primary and secondary schools are provided by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

Government: Locations and job counts for local, state, and federal government entities are collected through direct correspondence with each government, department, or agency.

The supplemental information collected by PSRC includes only worksite locations and job counts. PSRC does not collect any confidential employer or employee information.

PSRC appreciates the participation of these employers in helping to improve our employment location data. An accurate geographic representation of the iobs they provide within our region helps to enhance the quality and relevance of planning efforts here at PSRC, as well as those of our local member jurisdictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is “covered employment”?
  • Covered employment refers to both full- and part-time jobs in the labor force that are “covered” under state and federal unemployment insurance laws and programs. Certain categories of employment are excluded such as: self-employed individuals, active military, proprietors, railroad workers, unpaid family workers, and all other workers not covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. Covered employment represents approximately 85-90% of total employment.