Seattle, Bellevue, Everett & Tacoma · Recruiters
Careerscape is a national staffing and recruiting agency. Our recruiters specialize by industry and fill Seattle-area roles remotely, from software and cloud to aerospace, healthcare and logistics. Here is what the Puget Sound is hiring for in 2026, what it pays, and the Washington rules that shape every offer.
For a decade, "Seattle hiring" meant Amazon and Microsoft. In 2026 the growth is somewhere else. The latest BLS payroll data for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro shows manufacturing up 3.3% and education and health services up 3.1% over the year, while the information sector, where much of the region's software and cloud work is counted, is down 0.8%.
Boeing is the clearest reason for the factory side. It started building 737 MAX jets on a new North Line in Everett in July 2026, alongside its Renton plant, to push output past 47 planes a month. On the tech side, Amazon has filed Washington layoff notices covering about 2,300 jobs in October 2025 and about 2,200 in January 2026. Each still has 50,000 or more employees in the region, so the software market is smaller and pickier, not gone.
Recruiting here also means working under Washington law, which changes often. Pay ranges have been required in job postings since 2023, a stricter Fair Chance Act took effect in July 2026, and a ban on nearly all non-competes starts in mid-2027. The calendar below lays out the dates. Pay figures for 450+ roles are in our 2026 Salary Guide.
By the numbers
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro (King, Snohomish and Pierce counties), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. September 2026 figures are preliminary and not seasonally adjusted.
What's hiring
Metro payroll counts and 12-month changes are BLS figures for September 2026 (preliminary). Company details are market context only.
About 167,900 jobs, up 3.3%. Boeing builds the 737 MAX in Renton and, since July 2026, on the new North Line in Everett, with a backlog of more than 4,000 airplanes. Roles we recruit for here include aerospace and manufacturing engineers, quality, assembly and supply-chain planning.
About 319,600 jobs, up 3.1%. Registered nurses earn a $128,260 median in the metro. Careerscape recruits for clinical, revenue-cycle, health IT and administrative roles.
Information jobs are down 0.8% to about 132,100. Microsoft (Redmond) and Amazon (Seattle) each have 50,000 or more employees in the region. Amazon's 2026 cuts in Washington reached engineers, applied scientists, product managers and HR roles, so experienced candidates are on the market.
The largest private sector at about 384,300 jobs, up 0.7%. It includes computer systems design, engineering, consulting, accounting and staffing work.
Trade, transportation and utilities hold about 351,600 jobs, up 0.7%. The ports of Seattle and Tacoma run their container terminals together as the Northwest Seaport Alliance, whose volumes were down 10.9% through August 2026 after tariff-driven shipping pulled cargo into 2025.
Financial activities are down 2.9% to about 97,500 jobs, and government is down 1.4% to about 282,400. Both are shrinking, which puts more experienced candidates on the market.
Pay benchmarks
Median annual wages for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro from the federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, with the U.S. median for comparison in each row. Seattle pays well above national levels in almost every field.
| Role | Median annual pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers (U.S. median: $135,980) | $167,280 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Aerospace engineers (U.S. median: $134,960) | $163,580 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Registered nurses (U.S. median: $97,550) | $128,260 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging and systems assemblers (U.S. median: $65,380) | $110,470 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Logisticians (U.S. median: $82,320) | $108,920 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Electricians (U.S. median: $63,190) | $101,780 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Accountants and auditors (U.S. median: $83,680) | $99,370 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Human resources specialists (U.S. median: $75,940) | $92,770 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
Washington requires a pay range in job postings, so these medians are a useful check on the ranges you publish or see. For 450+ roles, see the 2026 Salary Guide.
Washington hiring-law calendar
Washington changes its employment rules more often than most states. These are the dates that matter for a Seattle hire, in order. A summary, not legal advice.
Under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, employers with 15 or more employees must list a wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits and other compensation in each job posting. State guidance applies this to remote jobs that could be filled by a Washington worker and to postings made through third parties.
Amendments (SB 5408) let an employer avoid penalties by correcting a non-compliant posting within five business days of written notice, and set damages at $100 to $5,000 per violation. The fix window runs until July 27, 2027. In September 2025 the state Supreme Court ruled that applicants do not have to prove they were "bona fide" to sue.
Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 an hour and Seattle's is $21.30. Exempt employees must earn at least $1,541 a week ($80,168 a year). Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums rose to 1.13% of wages, about 71% paid by the employee, and WA Cares withholds another 0.58%.
The amended Fair Chance Act (EHB 1747) now applies to employers with 15 or more employees: no criminal-history questions or checks until after a conditional offer, no blanket exclusions, and a documented "legitimate business reason" plus a notice-and-response step before any adverse decision. Smaller employers follow on Jan 1, 2027.
Washington has no tax on wages. A 9.9% tax on income above $1 million (SB 6346), signed in March 2026, is set to apply to income earned from 2028. Initiative 645, on the November 3 ballot, would repeal it.
The state minimum wage rises to $17.73 and Seattle's to $22.14. The exempt salary threshold rises to $92,196 for employers with 51 or more workers and $82,976 for smaller ones.
HB 1155 voids existing and future non-competes for employees and independent contractors. Until then they are enforceable only above $126,858.83 in 2026 earnings for employees. Limited non-solicitation agreements of up to 18 months remain allowed, and employers must notify affected workers by Oct 1, 2027.
Where the work is
The metro runs from Everett in Snohomish County through King County to Tacoma in Pierce County. Where a job sits decides the commute, the candidate pool and, for hourly roles, which minimum wage applies.
Amazon's headquarters towers and much of the city's software and cloud office work. Seattle's own minimum wage ($21.30 in 2026) covers work inside city limits.
The Eastside's office core, with large Amazon offices. Since March 2026, the 2 Line light rail crosses Lake Washington on I-90, linking downtown Seattle with Bellevue.
Microsoft's headquarters campus, now served by the 2 Line's Redmond Technology station. Microsoft requires Puget Sound staff who live within 50 miles of an office to be on site three days a week.
Boeing's Everett factory, long home to its widebody jets and since July 2026 the second 737 MAX line. Manufacturing, engineering and quality roles cluster here.
Boeing's 737 plant at the south end of Lake Washington, stabilizing at 47 jets a month. Renton also sets its own minimum wage above the state's.
Sea-Tac International Airport, run by the Port of Seattle, plus distribution and fulfillment sites south toward Sumner. SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton and Burien set minimum wages above the state's.
The Port of Tacoma's terminals, part of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord about nine miles south-southwest of the city, a source of defense work and cleared and transitioning military talent.
For job seekers
Washington's laws give job seekers more information and more leverage than most states. Use them.
Covered employers must post a pay range and a benefits description. Compare it with the metro medians above and our Salary Guide, and ask where in the range the offer will land.
Under the amended Fair Chance Act, most employers cannot ask about criminal history until after a conditional offer, and must let you respond before any decision based on a record.
In 2026 a non-compete can only be enforced against employees earning above $126,858.83, and from June 30, 2027, nearly all of them become void. Non-solicitation clauses will still be allowed for up to 18 months.
Amazon expects corporate staff in five days a week and Microsoft three. A Bellevue or Redmond role from Seattle is now a light rail ride across I-90, so check the commute before you compare offers.
Factory roles pay well here: aircraft assemblers earn a $110,470 median in the metro, against $65,380 nationally. If you have assembly, inspection or electrical experience, tell your recruiter.
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