Amazon is state’s largest employer
By Terry Murry on Monday, January 4th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SEATTLE – During 2020, Amazon took over as Washington state’s largest employer, dethroning Boeing of the title it had held since shortly after World War II. Amazon has been in business for 26 years and flourished during the pandemic. Meanwhile, with problems from its grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing was also damaged by the pandemic.
During 2020 Amazon hired more than 400,000 employees globally. More than 16,500 of those jobs were in Washington state. That gives Amazon more than 80,000 workers in the state, which is more than 20 percent more than in 2019.
Boeing slashed its Washington workforce by just under 13,000 people last year. Economists believe that Boeing’s fall is temporary, and the company will eventually improve. Unemployment statistics show that the information sector has seen only about 1.4 percent layoffs since March. Manufacturers like Boeing saw 8.5 percent.
