Measured Employment Data - Actuals Looking for "stimulus" jobs? Worksource Washington Apprenticeship programs

How does WSDOT estimate the number of jobs created or saved?

WSDOT worked with the Governor’s Office of Financial Management (OFM) economists to estimate the number of jobs created or saved for each Recovery Act highway construction project. OFM maintains a nationally recognized model that is based on state data—typically updated every 5-10 years—that can be used to estimate the employment impact of highway construction projects.
Expenditures and the number of jobs created vary with each phase of the project, such as:

• Preliminary engineering (planning, design, cost estimating)
• Right-of-way purchasing
• Construction

These phases can occur over a number of years and carry different job-creation multipliers.

For multi-year projects, WSDOT based estimates on the year with the greatest expenditures and the job multipliers for the project phase(s) in that year. In other words, this is the peak expenditure-year job estimate. This number was used to avoid over- or double-counting jobs.

Smaller, single-season construction project employment estimates are based on the total project cost. This is sometimes called a “job-years” estimate. This approach was taken because the fiscal year ends on June 30th, which is in the middle of the highway construction season.

Any time a multiplier is used, it is important to remember that it is only an estimate. Using the job multiplier at the beginning of a project gives a statewide “ballpark” estimate of the total number of jobs created or saved.

What types of jobs are included in the estimate?
The estimate produced by the multiplier includes more than just direct, on-the project jobs. While it does include direct jobs, it also includes indirect and induced jobs,

• Direct Jobs: The actual jobs created or saved from the new investment in highway construction. Examples of these types of jobs include highway construction workers, and project engineers.
• Indirect Jobs: These are jobs created or saved in industries supporting the direct spending. Examples of these types of jobs include workers in industries supplying asphalt and steel.
• Induced Jobs: These are jobs created by the re-spending of worker income on consumer goods and services, including food, clothing, and recreation.

How is this estimate different from reporting direct jobs?

Currently, OFM’s model is the best tool available to estimate the employment impact of projects. This estimate not only forecasts direct, on-the-project jobs, but also provides a more complete picture of the Recovery Act’s impact by estimating the associated impacts of spending on highway construction. In addition to the estimated impacts, WSDOT tracks actual employment data (measured). WSDOT receives reports from contractors of the number of employees working on active projects. These numbers are then reported to the Federal Highway Administration on a monthly basis, and will be posted on WSDOT’s stimulus website.

When are employment estimates updated?

WSDOT’s employment estimates are based on the engineer’s project cost estimate. Employment estimates will be updated based on award amounts. When contractors' bids are lower or higher than the engineer’s estimates, the number of jobs supported by the project is adjusted accordingly. Recent contractor bids have come in lower than engineer’s estimates allowing WSDOT to use the savings to finance additional projects. 

Employment Estimates for WSDOT Recovery Act Projects

Note: Project financial estimates as of 5/28/09. Employment estimates to be updated based on final award amount.

Small Single Season Construction Projects

Single Construction Season Projects

Multiple Construction Season Projects

Project Active = These projects currently have measured employment data to report as of 6/8/09.

This includes information pertaining to both state employees and information provided by contractors where applicable.