Seattle Jobs Roundtable Invitation

I was asked by Courtney Geduldig, Managing Director of Financial Services Forum, to repost this invitation letter for their event on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 8:00 a.m.

Nearly 16 million Americans remain unemployed or underemployed, and more than 40 percent of those unemployed have been out of work for six months or longer.  Persistent joblessness threatens the still fragile economic recovery by contributing to the ongoing residential foreclosure crisis and by fueling profound economic uncertainty that suppresses consumption and investment.  High unemployment also exacerbates the nation’s fiscal circumstances by lowering tax receipts and increasing government support expenditures. 

Accelerating job creation, therefore, is the top domestic policy priority of policymakers of both political parties, and the financial services industry. 

Critical questions include: 1) What are the jobs of the 21^st century?; 2) What steps can be taken to promote the creation of those jobs by existing businesses, and to promote the formation of businesses that will create those jobs; and, 3) What are the skills American workers need to fill those jobs, and what steps can be taken to ensure that American workers attain those skills? 

The Financial Services Forum – a non-partisan financial and economic policy group representing the largest financial institutions operating in the United States – has launched an initiative to answer these and other important questions in specific, compelling, and nonpartisan terms.

A major aspect of our effort is to hear from you – the job creators. 

We cordially invite you to participate in a small, off-the-record discussion with fellow business leaders on the critically important topics of accelerating new business formation and job creation in the United States.  The Forum plans to conduct a number of similar discussions with the leaders of new and small businesses in key regions around the nation.

The 90-minute event will occur over breakfast on Tuesday, August 2^nd beginning at 8 a.m. at Hotel 1000, which is located at 1000 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. The discussion will take place in the hotel's terrace room.

No preparation on your part is necessary, and your comments and ideas will be kept strictly confidential.  The Forum hopes to use the information gathered to help develop policy recommendations to promote job creation, particularly among new and small businesses.

We very much hope that you will join us.  Please indicate whether you will be able to participate in our discussion by responding to Jennifer Scungio at (202) 457-8759 or at jen.scungio@financialservicesforum.org.

We look forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas on August 2^nd.