Time again to draw attention to one of the Northwest's (not that we're alone) most powerful indicators, found in the annual job gap study by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations. And it has quite a bit to say about family values.
In the report, the group does two things. First, it works out in four Northwest states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho plus Montana) what a "living wage" is, bearing in mind the number of people to be supported by it - a single adult, a single adult or couple with a child, or with children. Then it determines how many jobs - and especially, how many jobs of those coming open - will support people at or above that level.
The group's reports in recent years have not been encouraging, and neither is this one.