America’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs; Education and Training Requirements in the Next Decade and Beyond

Abstract:

In 2007, the Workforce Alliance, a long-time Joyce-funded workforce policy advocacy organization, launched a sophisticated strategic communications campaign, Skills2Compete. It introduced a new vision for a two-year skills guarantee for all American workers, backed by solid research illuminating the economic imperative.

The Workforce Alliance commissioned a study by two prominent labor economists on the future of the U.S. workforce. This report, America's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs: Education and Training Requirements in the Next Decade and Beyond, revealed that the demand for workers to fill jobs in the middle of the labor market—those that require more than high school but less than a four-year degree—will likely remain quite robust relative to supply, especially in key sectors. It encourages America to address U.S. competitiveness in a way that includes the vast majority of America’s future workers.