Is it a good sign for our northwest economy? All of a sudden southwest Washington is experiencing a hiring boom. 21 businesses have signaled their intentions to relocate or expand in Clark and Cowlitz Counties, and Rick Vansise with the Washington State Employment Security Department says and this means jobs:  “This comes at a great time to put people who have job skills matched up with these companies; back to work. It’s been a long wait. This is certainly a good sign of getting the economy back on track." He says there are 545 different job openings there that pay between $15 and $30 an hour.