State economist Arun Raha relied on humor to soften the bad news while delivering a forecast of economic news to the leaders of the local construction and real estate industry on Wednesday.
The absence of robust real estate sales and large-scale developments in Washington still create a drag on the economy, Raha said. But he was encouraged by strong showings from Boeing Co. and Microsoft, along with a healthy Washington export market. Those factors have helped the state’s economy hold up when compared with other states in the nation.
“Our economy sucks,” Raha said. “But Washington state’s economy sucks less.”
About 135 attendees responded with occasional bursts of laughter while Raha spoke in the Columbia Room at Vancouver’s new Community Library downtown.
The event was hosted by the Southwest Washington Contractors Association, the Clark County Association of Realtors and Cascade Title Co.
