The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently projected record-breaking growth in 2021, but it is premature to celebrate this rosy macroeconomic picture. In the same document, the CBO also made an alarming prediction: The U.S. labor market will not fully recover until 2024. Recent U.S. jobs reports reveal the depth of the pandemic-created…

In 2007, Michigan undertook a bold mission: to retrain tens of thousands of adults to qualify for jobs in emerging and expanding sectors of the economy. The state's proposal to jobless, dislocated, and low-income residents was simple but appealing: enroll in up to two years of postsecondary education, and Michigan would cover up to $5,000 in…

The Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998 seeking to create a system connecting employment, education, and training services to better match job seekers to labor market needs. However, questions have been raised about how WIA funds are being used and, in particular, how much is being spent on training. Contributing to the…

This publication contains detailed reports from the eight subcouncils established by the Competitiveness Policy Council to develop specific policy recommendations in eight areas. "Building a Standards-Based School System" (Education Subcouncil) recommends redirecting the education system toward achieving the National Education Goals,…

The Competitiveness Policy Council (CPC) concludes that the United States continues to face major competitiveness problems despite recent increases in the growth of both the economy and national productivity. It proposes sweeping educational reform in three areas: developing content and performance standards; ensuring that schools have the…

A study examined the experiences of some 1.4 million American defense industry workers, displaced in the wake of the Cold War, as a way of reviewing and evaluating national policies toward worker adjustment and re-employment as they have evolved in the 1990s. The study found that the federal government, through the Department of Labor,…

This policy paper explores the nature and significance of human capital development. Its intended audience includes policymakers, students and researchers, and citizens who bear the ultimate responsibility for public policy. An introductory section defines human capital broadly to include all productive capacities acquired at some cost and…

This policymakers' guide examines considerations in developing policies regarding the development and evaluation of workplace literacy programs for seven targeted worker groups that have been especially adversely affected by recent demographic and economic changes. Section 1 presents considerations and recommendations for developing workplace…

Technological, demographic, and competitive pressures have transformed the U.S. labor market and must be dealt with on a priority basis. The urgency of the problem can best be addressed by creating a national institution that is independent of government, business, and labor but that draws on all three sectors to develop a broad array of policies…

Since the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was enacted in 1998, considerable efforts have been expended at the federal, state, and local levels to effect the transition to the new system mandated by WIA. Several states phased into the new system in July 1999, and all other states followed in mid-2000. Active participation by partner agencies has…

The state of Washington's workforce development system agenda focused in 2002 on these four goals: (1) closing a perceived job skills gap; (2) training incumbent and dislocated workers in order to prepare them for changes in the economy; (3) achieving wage progression for low income individuals; and (4) integrating workforce development programs…