Patrick Jones, an economist at Eastern Washington University and executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis, which works closely with the Grant County Economic Development Council and the City of Moses Lake to monitor employment, business and demographic trends in Grant County.
March 27, 2023
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Planting numbers: Farming still crucial to Basin employment
MOSES LAKE — Despite the rise of manufacturing in the Columbia Basin, farming is still the base for all economic activity in the region. “I think about the economies here (in Grant County) and six of the even counties I serve, they’re heavily agriculture-based,” said Don Mesek, a labor economist with the Washington State Department of Employment Security in Ellensburg. “It doesn’t mean we don’t have other aspects of the economy. But it does mean that agriculture is a pillar of our local economy.” Meseck analyzes employment trends in Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan and Yakima counties, providing regular reports on how many people are employed, looking for work, and are likely no longer looking for work. Of the 22 employment classifications tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — everything from management and professional services to sales to manufacturing — Meseck said that agriculture-related jobs, both on-farm and in food processing and handling, accounted for 22.9% of all jobs in Grant County.