Employment

The minimum wage in Washington state is $16.28 per hour. The minimum wage for youths younger than age 16 may be 85% of the adult minimum wage. The unemployment rate for Spokane is about 4.8% in April 2024 (seasonally adjusted).

Local Economic Climate

The Spokane area serves as the business, transportation, medical, industrial, and cultural hub of the Inland Northwest, a 36-county region encompassing Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana, Northeastern Oregon and parts of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Visit Military OneSource to find out about resources and to obtain an assistance flyer.

Good prospects: The services sector (cashiers, food service, gaming, retail sales and government) is the largest sector of employment in the Spokane area. Many jobs in the services sector require unskilled workers and pay is commensurate with experience required.

Fair prospects: Spokane is a regional health care provider for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, so there are often openings for nurses, lab technicians and other jobs in the medical field.

Poor prospects: There are very few industrial plants in the immediate area.

The state’s official site for employment services is WorkSource Washington, part of the American Jobs Centers network. Inbound job seekers are encouraged to register prior to arrival at www.worksourcewa.com. WorkSource maintains a jobs database and links to current employment and labor market information (LMI) in the area.  The website provides employment related services, resources available, and contact information for local offices. Fairchild Military and Family Readiness Center offers access to WorkSource Spokane employment services. 

The M&FRC also has the DRC available for use. In it are computers with Internet access, printers, copier, and numerous resource materials. Contact M&FRC staff for further information, employment counseling or a resume review.

Opportunities on base are civil service (see the Office of Personnel Management or USAJOBS), AAFES, and positions with various contractors.

Employment Opportunities

The minimum wage in Washington state is $16.28 per hour. The minimum wage for youths under age 16 may be 85% of the adult minimum wage. The unemployment rate for Spokane is approximately 4.8% per a April 2024 assessment.

Local Economic Climate

The Spokane area serves as the business, transportation, medical, industrial and culture hub of the Inland Northwest. It’s a 36-county region encompassing Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana, Northeastern Oregon and parts of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.

Good prospects: The services sector (cashiers, food service, gaming, retail sales and government) is the largest sector of employment in the Spokane area. Many jobs in the services sector require unskilled workers and pay is commensurate with experience required.

Fair prospects: Spokane is a regional health-care provider for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho; therefore, there are often openings for nurses, lab technicians and other jobs in the medical field.

Poor prospects: There are very few industrial plants in the immediate area.

In Washington, WorkSource is the state's official site for online employment services. It maintains a job bank and has links to all employment and labor market information. Inbound job seekers are encouraged to register prior to arrival. This website also provides contact information and addresses for local offices. The Fairchild Military and Family Readiness Center offers WorkSource employment services information. 

Contact M&FRC staff for further information, employment counseling or resume review. The M&FRC also has a DRC available for use. In it are computers with internet access, printers, a copier, and numerous resource materials.

Opportunities on base are civil service (see Office of Personnel Management, USAJOBS or the Civilian Personnel Office), Force Support Squadron Human Resource Office, Defense Commissary Agency, Army and Air Force Exchange Service and positions with various contractors.

Fairchild Air Force Base, Civilian Personnel Office: https://fairchildfun.com/civilian-careers

Transition Assistance Program:

The Transition Assistance Program is a comprehensive, mandatory program provided through the efforts of an interagency team from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management and the Small Business Administration.

TAP (formally known as Transition Goals, Plans, Success) is a cohesive, modular, outcome-based program that aids in the successful transition into a career-ready civilian. TAP standardizes the transition services that service members receive prior to separating from the military to make them employment ready, as well as being prepared to enter into higher education, attend vocational training, prepare for employment or start their own business.

In addition to the mandatory components, there are optional components and tracks.

Mandatory Components:

Initial counseling is mandatory for all service members leaving the military. It must be taken 365 days prior to separation or retirement. It is recommended 18 months prior to separation or 24 months prior to retirement. Spouse attendance is encouraged.

Pre-separation counseling is mandatory for all service members leaving the military. It must be taken 365 days prior to separation or retirement. It is recommended 18 months prior to separation or 24 months prior to retirement. Spouse attendance is encouraged.

The TAP five-day workshop is delivered by the Airman and Family Readiness Center, the VA, the DOD and the DOL. It is mandatory for all, with some exemptions for DOL. Spouse attendance is encouraged (pending space availability).

Capstone is by individual appointment and is designed to validate and verify that each service member has completed all required Career Readiness Standards. The member should schedule this 90-150 days prior to separation or retirement. A&FRC staff, service members and their commander/designee will sign a DD Form 2648.

Optional components, two-day tracks:

• Higher Education Track – delivered by the Education Center– helps individuals make an informed decision about attending an institute of higher learning. It covers items such as understanding the realities of college life, how to obtain credit for military training and experience, researching schools and completing a college admissions package. It also provides an understanding of financial assistance, to include the G.I. Bill and the risks associated with incurring debt while in school.
• Career Exploration & Planning Track – delivered by the DOL – assists transitioning members in defining technical career goals, identifying required credentials, finding career technical training opportunities, identifying local veteran resources, and utilizing their VA education benefits.
• Entrepreneur Track (Boots to Business) – delivered by the SBA -- provides information on how to develop a business plan, marketing, promoting and funding of a small business. This track may be taken at any point in the military life cycle. This track is for members and their spouses who are interested in starting their own business. Educational opportunities are abundant on and off-base. The Spokane/Fairchild area offers two community colleges and several universities, as well as career technical training programs. The base education center provides full education counseling, including tuition assistance information, for service members and family members. Call 509-247-2348.
• Employment Workshop – delivered by the DOL – provides information and resources on how to write a targeted profession resume, gain interview skills and navigate social media and the job market.

Tuition assistance

For information about tuition assistance for spouses, see the College and Technical Training article for additional funding resources.

Fairchild Fun:  https://www.fairchildfun.com/military-family-readiness-center

Online TAP/Resources:  https://tapevents.mil/resources

Online TAP/Courses:  https://tapevents.mil/courses

Tuition Assistance for Spouses - See College & Technical Training article for additional funding resources.

MyCAA

For information on MyCAA and Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities, visit Military OneSource.

The unemployment rate for Washington State is about 4.8% (APR2024). The unemployment rate for Spokane is about 4.4% (APR2024). The Fairchild Military and Family Readiness Center offers a variety of workshops to assist service and family members in their local area job search.

Unemployment compensation may be paid to a spouse who left work to relocate for the other spouse's employment due to an employer-initiated mandatory transfer, so long as the claimant remained employed as long as was reasonable prior to the move. For more information, contact WorkSource Spokane. 

Visit Washington’s WorkSource website, the state’s official site for online employment services, and visit the WorkSource Spokane website for local employment information. You may also consult with a WorkSource employee at the Fairchild M&FRC.