Builders Bulletin: Washington Unemployment at 3.6%, Construction Sector Grows by 4,500 Jobs

In July 2023, the unemployment rate in Washington stood at a healthy 3.6%, while the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett metropolitan area boasted an even lower rate of 3.1%. Notably, the construction sector in the state experienced growth over the past year, adding 4,500 jobs between July 2022 and July 2023. With a total statewide construction employment of 240,900, these figures reflect a positive trend in Washington's labor market and its continued commitment to economic development.

Read the full September Builders Bulletin:

The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) has been added to List C. If you’re filling out the Form I-9 online, you will be able to select this form from the dropdown menus. Using e-verify? You can also select Form FS-240 when creating a case for an employee who presents this document for Form I-9.

All the certifications of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545, Form DS-1350, and Form FS-240) have been combined into selection C #2 in List C.

All List C documents except the Social Security card have been renumbered. Example: The employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security on List C has changed from List C #8 to List C #7.

What to do

Employers can continue using the older version through Sept. 17. On Sept. 18, you must use the revised version. You’ll notice the revision date of 07/17/17 N at the bottom of the form. Storage and retention rules for any previously completed Forms I-9 remain the same. Find more details on that here.

Penalties for noncompliance

Just last year, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nearly doubled fines for violations with Forms I-9.

There is a $216–$2,126 fine per Form I-9 paperwork violation. That’s an increase from $110–$1,100.

For unlawful employment of unauthorized workers, the fine for the first offense increased to $539–$4,313 per worker from $375–$3,200.

For unfair immigration-related practices, specifically document abuse, the fine per individual increased to $110-$1,110. Learn more about the fines and penalties.

Where to find the latest form

It's in PrimePay's resources section. Access the resources and choose the payroll forms tab.

PrimePay is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. PrimePay empowers small businesses to thrive by offering integrated payroll, HR, and benefits administration with superior support to back it. Learn more at primepay.com.

The original article was published by PrimePay.

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Builders

09/12/2016

Member Story: Terrene Homes

HIGH-END EASTSIDE HOME BUILDERS

Terrene Homes is a family-owned, Bellevue-based company specializing in residential building, specifically single-family and multifamily construction. Most of the 13-employee firm’s projects are on the Eastside and include both spec and design/build projects, at the higher end of quality and price. Terrene designs homes that “emphasize livability without sacrificing style, power, luxury, or comfort.” Danielle wears lots of financial and administrative hats at Terrene. “I’ve been with the company for eight years. My official title is accountant, but I also handle HR and I’m the liaison between employees and EPK Benefits, which administers our MBA Health Trust plan.”

THE MBA HEALTH TRUST PROVIDES AFFORDABLE RATES FOR SMALL FIRMS

Danielle says that it is tough for small businesses to maintain affordable health insurance. “As a company with a small number of employees, it’s hard to find coverage with affordable rates. We joined the MBA Health Trust eight years ago,” says Danielle. “We had just four employees when we first got health insurance and we now have 13 who are currently enrolled. And while remaining a relatively small firm, we’ve been able to keep insurance affordable during that whole period.”

Terrene is now enrolled in a Regence BlueShield PPO plan that provides competitive premiums. “We looked at other options,” Danielle says, “but it was most affordable through the MBA. Our monthly premium is significantly lower—around 10% savings.”

REGENCE BLUE SHIELD EXCELLENT FOR PREVENTIVE CARE

Terrene’s coverage includes Delta Dental of Washington, along with Regence, and Danielle says employees couldn’t be more pleased. “They are very happy with the Regence coverage and the flexibility and ability to see doctors they need to see, particularly in the preventive care area. We’ve had instances where employees were pleasantly surprised at what they had initially thought would be expensive out-of-pocket fees for preventive care, but they didn’t have to pay much at all.”

RESPONSIVE ADMINISTRATORS

EPK is the third-party organization that administers the plans for the MBA Health Trust. “They are extremely helpful and responsive,” says Danielle. “If there is a question of coverage, they are very quick to solve the issue.They are a great middleman for us and our employees to use as a resource.”

TERRENE ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE MBA GRIP PROGRAM

The MBA also provides access to the GRIP program, which helps improve safety and reduces the overall cost of workers’ compensation for MBA members. “It’s a great program for loss prevention,” says Danielle. “And the GRIP safety team was just out here to do an overhaul of our current safety procedures. It’s a fantastic resource for safety and injuries, though we have never had to make that call.”

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Builders

08/12/2024

General Election: Congratulations to MBAKS' Newly-Elected 2025 Board Members