|
|
| Home > City Guide - Seattle - Business | ||
|
||
|
Business Business Profile Greater Seattle’s economy is dominated by domestic and international trade. Washington is the fifth largest US exporting state and trade-related companies are the source of one in four jobs. The Port of Seattle is the third largest port on the west coast and the main point of entry for Japanese and South Korean consumer goods into the USA. Air transportation, coupled with the region’s seaports and rail links, also plays a key role in trade-dependency. The main financial centre is Downtown, on Third, Fourth, and Fifth Avenues (just south of the retail core), but manufacturing districts extend from Redmond to the northeast, where the main Microsoft Campus is also located, and south to Boeing Field and the city of Tacoma. Manufactured goods, Greater Seattle’s chief export, brought in US$36 million in the first half of 1997 alone. From 1995 to 1998, Seattle area companies created 500,000 jobs, including 12,000 new business services jobs (including but not limited to the high tech industry). Seattle’s rate of unemployment, at 4%, is well below the national average of 5.4%. For decades, Boeing has been Seattle’s primary employer and still has more than 100,000 workers – at least one in four jobs are associated with the airlines industry. However, software development, such as Microsoft, and e-commerce companies, Amazon.com and Nintendo among them, were responsible for the area’s economic boom in 1999 and 2000. Microsoft is the world’s largest computer software producer and employs about 25,000 people. Business fears today reflect a 21st-century mercurial travel and e-commerce market. The city’s financial dependency on a relatively small number of companies can mean major troughs in employment if companies, such as Boeing, experiences tough times or if Nasdaq stocks continue to take a tumble. Such has been the case for many of the hundreds of start-ups spawned here in the ‘Silicon Forest’ during more lucrative times. Business Etiquette Seattle people appear remarkably informal in their business dress and manner, even to other Americans. Particularly in the high-tech and e-commerce world, jeans, trainers and sweatshirts are standard business attire in this youth-dominated sector. It was Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ philosophy that people worked harder in less formal environments, so working hours in many companies have followed suit in flexibility (although based on 0930-1800 working hours) and Equal Opportunity in race, creed, sex and sexual orientation is standard practice. In the world of high finance and law, however, the crisp business suit and briefcase is still the norm for women and men. ‘Power’ breakfasts for brainstorming are common, dinners at private homes more rare, with fashionable restaurants or wine bars more likely settings. Many Seattleites are health conscious, so when making a private visit, alcohol or sweets may not be appropriate and flowers are the best bet. |
||
