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Priority Hire
King County's Priority Hire Program is a workforce and economic development strategy that provides training and family wage employment opportunities in the construction industry on King County public works construction projects of $5 million or more. The Priority Hire program provides access to individuals interested in pursuing career opportunities in the construction industry who reside in economically distressed areas of King County, and in areas of Pierce and Snohomish counties where the county has rate payers.
In May 2016, King County Executive Dow Constantine issued a directive to county department directors to implement a pilot Priority Hire program for large capital construction projects, consistent with an Executive Order issued in 2013 for Project Labor Agreements.
The Priority Hire Program is an important component to the King County's Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan and supports a more diverse and trained workforce that is necessary for our region to continue to thrive.
Priority Hire Grant Program Master Community Workforce Agreement (MCWA) Priority Hire Advisory Committee Respectful Worksite Language
Goals
- Align and champion greater workforce diversity in the trades
- Increase entry and diversity in the trades
- Improve retention of workforce diversity in the trades
Benefits
- Prioritizes economically disadvantaged local workers for inclusion in King County capital construction projects
- Supports the hiring of residents who live in King County Priority Hire ZIP Codes
- Training and job opportunities in the construction industry for local residents needing family-wage jobs
- Assist in addressing a widening gap between the demand for construction labor and the supply of skilled trade workers in our regional labor market
Eligibility Criteria
- Individuals must reside in a King County Priority Hire ZIP code
- King County has 55 Priority Hire ZIP codes that have high concentration of the following three criteria:
- People living under 200% below the Federal poverty level
- Unemployment
- People 25 and over with less than a bachelor's degree
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
- For answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Priority Hire program, visit our Priority Hire FAQs
2024 Annual Results
- $10.5 million in wages earned by priority hire workers
- 646,168 total Washington State labor hours on projects with priority hire requirements
- 188,165 priority hire labor hours
- 39.5% priority hire actual apprentice participation rate, exceeding the overall required apprenticeship rate of 25.7%
- 26.3% priority hire actual journey worker participation rate, surpassing the overall required rate of 18.2%
- 1,017 priority hire workers, including 792 journey workers and 225 apprentices
- 47.3% priority hire minority worker participation rate, exceeding the overall hiring goal of 21%
- 15.1% priority hire women worker participation rate, exceeding the overall hiring goal of 12%
Priority Hire Advisory Committee
The membership of the Priority Hire Advisory Committee includes representatives with experience in the construction industry:
- Contractors
- Associated General Contractors of Washington
- Labor unions
- Small, minority and/or women owned businesses
- Pre-apprentice and apprentice training providers
- Local community and business organizations
Visit the committee page to learn more.