This Talent Pipeline shows supply and demand of the workforce in King County. It draws on occupation forecasts to calculate surpluses and shortages of specific jobs. Expand each section below to see the data sources and methodology that composes the Talent Pipeline model.

The data for employment is defined by the four-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the data for occupations is defined by the six-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Graduates are defined by Classification Instructional Program (CIP) codes. These classifications standardize industry, occupation and graduate data. Crosswalks between NAICS and SOC, and CIP and SOC codes help define the elements of industry definitions, demand and supply.

The supply data in the Talent Pipeline model consists of graduates from institutions within King County (Graduate Supply), as well as the number of unemployed insurance claimants (UI Supply).

The number of graduates matching an occupation are determined by using the NCES Program to Occupation crosswalk. A portion of regional graduates will leave the region to look for work outside of King County. The details of each Industry’s graduate retention rate can be found in the Industry Definition section.

Graduate data only measures the number of individuals that complete programs at postsecondary institutions, so high school graduates are not included among graduate data. Although many high school graduates may be appropriately qualified for certain positions, the supply of graduates that can be expected to enter into a particular occupation or industry cannot be measured.

Apprenticeships are not included among supply estimates. A key feature of apprenticeship programs is on-the-job training, therefore these individuals are counted within occupational employment estimates. If apprenticeships were to be added to supply they would be double-counted within the analysis.

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UI Supply Data Source: Continued unemployment claimants by occupation for King County in January 2014, published by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD).

Grad Supply Data Source: Number of graduates by degree program for King County institutions during the 2015-2016 academic year, published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Download the data here.

Program to Occupation Crosswalk, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Demand figures are forecasts of filled occupations, or the point of equilibrium between supply and demand. Demand is likely underestimated because the forecasts aim to show realized hires, and does not account for unmet demand.

Annual demand is driven by two factors, growth and turnover. This includes openings created by employees exiting to retire, move or change occupations. It does not include openings created by employees changing jobs within the same occupation and area.

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Demand Data Source: Long-term occupation forecasts for King County in 2020-2025, published by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD).

Industry definitions use 4-digit NAICS codes. Occupations of focus are determined by a minimum number of jobs in that industry, a percentage of graduates retained in King County, and a minimum percentage of employment concentrated in the industry.

Industry-Occupation Matrix Data Source: Seattle-King County Workforce Development Area 2015, Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD). Download the data here.

Sector Group	Industry	NAICS Definition	Minimum Share of Occupations in Cluster	Minimum Number of Jobs in Cluster	Graduate Retention Rate

Graduate and UI supplies are pooled and compared to forecasted annual average openings to calculate shortage or surplus for each occupation of focus. The Industry-Occupation Matrix is used to determine the proportion of graduates and unemployment claimants that can be expected to work in the industry of focus.

Summaries by minimum education requirements are used to display magnitude of supply and demand only, as not all occupations with the same minimum education requirement can be transferrable. Additionally, the talent gap does not differentiate qualified candidates by their actual level of experience. Therefore, entry level candidates and experienced candidates are counted equally among supply.

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Annual median wage and location quotients Data Source: Occupational Employment Statistics, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Other Top Occupations Data Source: Career Changers Matrix, O*NET Resource Center.

• Demand: Annual forecasts of filled occupations.
• UI Supply: The number of unemployed insurance claimants.
• Graduate Supply: The number of people with a degree or certificate from an institution, or college, King County.
• Gap: The difference between supply and demand. A negative value shows a shortage and a positive value shows a surplus.
• Surplus: More qualified candidates for a job than openings.
• Shortage: More openings for a job than qualified candidates.
• CAGR: The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) measures growth over a ten-year period.
• Location Quotient: The location quotient represents the ratio of an occupation’s share of employment in a given area to that occupation’s share of employment in the U.S. as a whole. For example, an occupation that makes up 10 percent of employment in a specific metropolitan area compared with 2 percent of U.S. employment would have a location quotient of 5 for the area in question.
• Transferrable Occupations: Other occupations a person may be qualified for.
• Major Industry Sector: A general description of industries. They are defined by grouping two-digit NAICS codes.
• Occupation Category: A general description of occupations. They are defined by two-digit SOC codes.
• Education Requirements: The minimum amount of education a person must have to be qualified for an occupation. These are national requirements and may be different in some regions or industries.
• Analysis Type: The Talent Pipeline analysis can be done across all industries or only for companies within the cluster. When viewing analysis for companies within the cluster, the totals shown are the number of occupations found within the NAICS codes used to define the cluster only.
• Percent Jobs in Industry: The percentage a certain occupation is found within the selected industry.
• Cluster: A selected grouping of NAICS codes used in the Talent Pipeline analysis.
• Industry vs Sector: Sector is a generalized term for multiple industries.
• Institution:: A higher education institution (college, vocational school) in King County.