On September 3, 2026, D.C. Policy Center Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted in the Washington Times about job losses in the District:
Factors driving the shortfall include fallout from pandemic-era telework, plunging commercial real estate values and Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce.
Yesim Sayin, executive director of the nonpartisan D.C. Policy Center, said the reports from Ms. Patterson and Mr. Lee agree that the economy is worsening. She noted that private-sector job losses have “really ramped up since January,” severely restricting the city’s revenue base.
“We cannot stop the bleeding of employment losses, and I’m very pessimistic,” Ms. Sayin said. “We are having fewer babies, fewer people are moving into the district, and the job market is continuing to decline.”
Read more: D.C. auditor projects declining revenue as city faces budget shortfall
Additional reading: Down 79,800 jobs: A risk to the District of Columbia’s superstar status