Workforce Explorer Washington         WorkSource Washington

United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Provides information about hundreds of jobs: training and education needed, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, working conditions.  It also provides job search tips, links to information about the job market in each state, Frequently Asked Questions, and more.

Spokane is a very patriotic community, and truly values Fairchild Air Force Base personnel and their families.  Many members of the community are military retirees themselves, and know first-hand the strong work ethic and values in military families.  There are many businesses which prefer to hire prior military members, and military spouses. 

Some businesses, however, will not even consider hiring a military spouse, because they know that it will be a relatively short employment period.  While this may be unpleasant for the spouse to hear, when you think about it from the standpoint of the employer, it does make sense.  The best approach is to just accept that not all businesses will be willing to consider you as an applicant; and to focus your energy and talents on obtaining an interview with the businesses which do value what you have to offer.  The Airman and Family Readiness Center staff can help you determine which businesses may be “military-friendly” for your career goals - short-term or long-term.   

The unemployment rate in the Spokane area is slightly lower than the national average.  The pay scale in the Spokane is somewhat lower than most other areas of the country.     

Employment in the local area is oriented toward service, retail, and telephone call centers (incoming and outgoing).  Good prospects for employment are clerical, healthcare, education, retail sales, telephone, and housekeeping.

Several local businesses do not hire directly; they utilize the “Temp-to-Hire” approach.  They will use a temporary hiring agency to fill a job.  If the person who is selected for the temporary job is someone that the company wants to hire, the company will then hire them on a permanent basis. 

Many employers list their job vacancies at the WorkSource webpage, a good place to search for jobs, or register as a job seeker.

On-base employment for civilians is primarily Air Force Civil Service, Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) employment, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), AAFES (the Base Exchange or BX), and  a few positions working with contractors or subcontractors.  Some individuals may qualify for Veteran’s Preference or Spouse Preference. 

Worker’s Compensation - About one third of Washington employees work for self-insured employers. If your employer is self-insured, worker rights and benefits are the same, but your employer handles the paperwork and pays for your claim, not Washington Department of Labor & Industry (L&I).       

Federal endorsement not intended. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Air Force or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and morale, welfare and recreation sites, the U.S. Air Force does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links provided are consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD website.