AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE-
NESS STRATEGY FOR WASHINGTON STATE

The Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle and the Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT) have released the International Competitiveness Strategy for Washington State. It finds that 40 percent of all jobs in Washington are tied to international trade, and provides a series of targeted recommendations to best allocate the state’s resources in order to increase our success in the global economy.

New insights

In particular, the Strategy provides the most up-to-date assessment of our state’s international economy, with analysis of its strengths, challenges, opportunities and threats to Washington’s global competitiveness. These include new insight on a key yet overlooked aspect of our economy: service exports, with specific data on the sources, destinations and value of our state’s services, such as IT and higher education. In addition, it shows that approximately 25 percent of jobs related to trade in our state are tied to imports, with Washington a primary gateway for Asian goods and home to a wide variety of retailers and manufacturers that leverage global supply chains.

Growing our international competitiveness

The strategy is explicitly designed to be more than a simple academic study. Its six specific recommendations can make our state even more successful in the international marketplace. WCIT and the TDA look forward to working with key trade stakeholders in Washington, from private industry to public ports, to implement the Strategy – helping Washington businesses become more globally competitive and creating jobs for Washington residents.

Download the International Competitiveness Strategy for Washington State:

• Strategy Flyer
• Strategy Press Release
• Strategy Executive Summary
• Full Strategy