EEOC examines the current state of the U.S. workforce

experts told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at a public meeting earlier this month. “A thorough understanding of today’s workforce, the employment opportunities available, the challenges in the job market – all are critical to our work in the EEOC,” said Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic. “Job opportunities must not be denied to anyone for discriminatory reasons. And at the end of our work, discrimination must be remedied with employment opportunity.” Nicole Smith, Chief Economist at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, focused on President Donald Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure proposal and its implications for the nation’s employment market. Smith asserts that the infrastructure program would “revive the blue collar economy,” but acknowledges that modern infrastructure jobs will require new training and skills for individuals at every education level. “The long-term problem is not necessarily a lack of jobs for experienced infrastructure workers, but a mismatch between the skills of dislocated infrastructure workers and the jobs available, especially at the sub-baccalaureate level,” Smith said. There was wide agreement that workers must acquire the skills needed for current and future jobs across many employment sectors, and policymakers should do more to support this need by expanding education and training programs, and by removing barriers to hiring for various segments of the population, including women and minorities. The EEOC invites members of the public to submit written comments on any issues or matters discussed at the meeting. For more information on meeting notes and comment submission, see the full EEOC release here.]]>