Thurston County's top economic development official will have a seat at the table as Gov. Bob Ferguson tries to reverse Washington's economic slide.

Ferguson signed Executive Order 26-02 on Thursday, June 25, in Seattle, creating a 26-member Governor's Economic Development Council tasked with drafting a statewide economic plan by June 2027. It is the first such body in two decades, according to the governor's office, which noted the last was Gov. Christine Gregoire's Global Competitiveness Council in 2006.

Michael Cade, executive director of the Thurston County Economic Development Council since 2004, is among the appointees. Cade also serves as incoming board chair of the Washington Economic Development Association.

The council arrives as the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater metro area sheds jobs. Government employment fell 1.5% year-over-year to a preliminary 44,600 positions in May 2026, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That sector accounts for roughly one in three nonfarm jobs locally. Total employment in the metro dropped 0.5% over the same period, to 133,100.

Statewide, the picture is worse. Washington's unemployment rate held at 5.2% in May, up from 4.5% a year earlier and nearly a full point above the national rate of 4.3%. The state lost a net 7,700 jobs over the past 12 months.

"Too many Washingtonians are out of work," Ferguson said at the signing. "Our state is unaffordable for too many Washingtonians, and we have areas where those rankings are not so good."

The council's roster includes executives from Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, and Puget Sound Energy, alongside Washington State Labor Council AFL-CIO President April Sims and Lt. Gov. Denny Heck. Members collectively employ more than 250,000 workers and represent over 500,000 union members, according to the governor's office.

Their mandate: identify barriers to growth, evaluate Washington's competitiveness against peer states, and recommend strategies to increase family-wage jobs. Ferguson committed to attending every quarterly meeting.

Washington-based Janicki Industries recently announced an $800 million expansion in Great Falls, Montana, not in its home state. An Association of Washington Business survey in spring 2026 found nearly three in four respondents cited their tax burden as a top challenge, up 18 percentage points since winter 2025. Just 7% rated Washington's economy as strong.

Ferguson has pledged no new taxes in his next two-year budget, which he said will confront what he called "a multibillion-dollar shortfall." The state's chief economist was scheduled to release a revenue forecast on Friday, June 26.

For Olympia and Tumwater, where government payrolls drive restaurant traffic, retail spending, and housing demand, the council's work on regulatory barriers and business retention has direct implications. The first quarterly meeting date has not been announced.