Seattle still no. 1 in quality of labor pool in new ‘tech talent’ ranking of 50 leading markets, Sound Transit breaks ground on Federal Way Light Rail extension, and more from this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Seattle Still No. 1 in Quality of Labor Pool in New ‘Tech Talent’ Ranking of 50 Leading Markets

GeekWire | Kurt Schlosser | July 16

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/seattle-still-no-1-quality-labor-pool-new-tech-talent-ranking-50-leading-markets/

“Seattle is once again the top market in North America for the quality of its tech labor pool, according to the 2020 “Scoring Tech Talent” report from CBRE, a ranking of regions for how they attract, retain and grow tech talent…Quality of the labor pool is measured by the concentration of software engineers and developers with over three years of experience and degrees from the top 25 computer science programs. “Seattle has a deep bench of high quality tech labor, driven by the growth of blue chip technology firms and cloud computing as well as Seattle’s emerging leadership in artificial intelligence,” Michael Dash, vice chairman with CBRE in Seattle, said in a news release. Dash added that the Puget Sound region is poised to fare better than most cities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic because future growth is fueled by quality of life, presence of technical colleges and universities, and relative affordability.”

Sound Transit Breaks Ground on Federal Way Light Rail Extension

GeekWire | Taylor Soper | July 6

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/sound-transit-breaks-ground-federal-way-light-rail-extension/C47N36KZS5GU5LIEA3NMARJ4O4/

“Construction started Thursday on the extension that will connect the Angel Lake Link Light Rail Station to the Federal Way Transit Center. Sound Transit staff and board members, elected officials and community partners were part of the groundbreaking event. Since King County remains under the COVID-19 health guidelines, an in -person groundbreaking event did not happen.”

CFO Survey Suggests Seattle’s Tech Companies Remain Resilient through the COVID-19 Pandemic

GeekWire | Taylor Soper | July 13

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/cfo-survey-shows-seattles-tech-companies-remain-resilient-covid-19-pandemic/

“A survey of 37 chief financial officers from Seattle-based companies indicates that the city’s tech industry remains strong despite the ongoing economic and health crisis. Three-quarters of respondents expect their businesses to fully recover from the downturn after experiencing temporary setbacks and uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly half say they are now increasing their 2020 spending forecasts when compared with early March, at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak.”