Workforce of the Future Initiative
Source: Brookings
A variety of economic forces, including automation and consolidation in many industries, is increasingly disrupting the supply of good jobs and demand for new skills. Middle-skill jobs are eroding while high- and low-skill jobs dominate the market, exacerbating inequality. In advanced economies such as the United States, wages have stagnated, and transitions to higher-skill, higher-pay work are difficult. These trends threaten one of the most potent mechanisms for sustained economic growth: a thriving middle class.
Within this shifting landscape, the Workforce of the Future Initiative led by Senior Fellow Marcela Escobari will help policymakers and companies better diagnose and prepare for these trends. The initiative will provide city-by-city analysis to attract industries that provide good jobs and support workers transitioning to those jobs. It will help leaders identify which industries are likely to grow and decline, and the necessary occupational transitions necessary to host growth industries.
The Workforce of the Future Initiative seeks to answer the following questions:
Given current industrial makeup and knowledge of their labor force, how can cities and regions attract growth and nurture good jobs?
How can skill-building organizations and policymakers measure and target the skills demanded from emerging local industries to help workers, particularly the most vulnerable, transition effectively?
How can companies use data on worker transitions to retrain and prepare their workforce for the jobs of tomorrow? How can companies invest in their workforce to benefit their community and bottom line?