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Economy & Jobs

We Must Build Workers’ Skills More Effectively to Ensure a Bright Economic Future

2 minute read

Thanks to the Trump administration’s pro-growth policies, the U.S. economy is booming. Unprecedented deregulation and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which brought historic tax relief to American businesses and families, are major factors in this success.

However, our strong economy has brought a longer-run issue to the forefront: Employers are having trouble finding enough workers with the right skills. That’s unfortunate because despite recent progress, millions of Americans who could work remain out of the labor force. If we could more effectively build workers’ skills and bring more nonworking Americans off the sidelines, our economic future could be even brighter.

As we continue to refine our approaches to address America’s “re-skilling” challenge, one fact stands out: The market demand for workers who can learn new skills is only going to grow. Employers are facing a shortage of workers with the right skills. As automation in general and specifically artificial intelligence continue to change the economy, re-skilling will become increasingly important. Our economic future — and the future of American workers and their families — depends on how well workers can adapt to our changing economy.

Millions of Americans are back in the workforce because of the Trump administration’s pro-growth policies. Smarter investment in our workers will ensure that a more flexible workforce is ready to continue this growth into the future.

This op-ed appeared in The Dallas Morning News on July 24, 2018. Read the full article here.