The surge in employment, especially in certain U.S. counties, over the last year has one Seattle based advisor saying show me the money — literally.

People are flooding into Seattle, Wash., to settle in and work for Amazon, said Heather Townsend, CFP, CPA, and founder of Townsend Financial. Townsend, who founded Townsend Financial in March, says new clients are making good money, and now earning restricted stock units (RSUs) and don’t know their options, tax implication or how these investments fit into their financial plan.

Amazon constructed a massive campus located in downtown Seattle that employs more than 40,000 workers. The company recently announced plans to expand, according to a report from the e-commerce giant.

King County, where Seattle is located, saw an increase in employment of 38,500 last year, ranking it third among the top 10 counties nationwide that saw big increases in new jobs, says a county and wage report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only Los Angeles County, Calif., and Maricopa County, Arizona, saw bigger increases in the number of people employed.

In fact, employment increased in more than 90 percent of the largest 346 counties in the U.S. from December 2016 through December 2017, according to the BLS. These counties had a net job growth of 1.6 million over the year, accounting for 74.4 percent of the overall U.S. employment increase. In December, national employment stood at 145.9 million, the BLS said.

While technology attracted talent to Seattle, the natural resource and mining industry attracted workers to Midland, Texas, according to the report. Midland had the largest percentage increase in employment, with a gain of 11.5 percent, compared with the national growth rate of 1.5 percent. The other four counties among the top five in the U.S. that had the largest percentage employment growth were Utah County, Utah, (6.0 percent), Montgomery County, Texas (5.6 percent), Calcasieu Parish, La. (5.8 percent), and Elkhart, Ind. (5.4 percent).

Not only have clients relocated for high-paying jobs, but many also are looking to transition into starting their own businesses, Townsend said. There’s an opportunity to assist clients in both scenarios. Most of all, clients want freedom and are looking for advisors to help them attain that, she added. 

For more information on the BLS report, click here.