By prioritizing policies that strengthen workforce development initiatives, the Trump administration, in its first two years, has created a favorable landscape for the construction industry to educate its workers, introduce new people to the industry and contribute to the growth of the U.S. economy.
In the six months following President Trump’s July 2018 Executive Order 13845 on “Establishing the President’s National Council on the American Worker,” the administration and Congress made workforce development a high priority through a series of executive actions, enacted bills and collaboration with the private sector.
Shortly after issuing the executive order, President Trump signed into law the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2353), which will continue to fund $7.5 billion in U.S. Department of Education grants that focus on vocational education programs through 2024.
Additionally, in late December, President Trump enacted the FIRST STEP Act (S. 3649), a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that aims to reduce recidivism in part by giving inmates an opportunity to learn a trade, which will help them secure a job and build a career in construction and other industries.
President Trump also called on private industry to take part in the Pledge to America’s Workers in an effort to gather commitments from the business community to expand workforce development. To date, more than 200 companies have pledged to provide nearly 6.8 million new education and skill development opportunities to American students and workers during the next five years. Associated Builders and Contractors has pledged to help fill an estimated 500,000 job openings immediately available to construction workers.
And when presenting his State of the Union address before the 116th Congress, President Trump highlighted the need to continue prioritizing policies that address the skilled worker shortage as part of his call for unity and bipartisanship.
“As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce development and job training,” he said. “Let us open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.”
Despite the split party control in Congress, legislators must address the critical workforce issue.
Under President Trump, Jared Kushner has been tasked with prioritizing reforms to the legal immigration system. The construction industry has advocated in favor of changes in immigration law to address growing problems and allow for much-needed access to legal, qualified temporary foreign workers in the United States.
In March, Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) and cosponsor Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) introduced the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act (H.R. 1740) to help employers gain access to a temporary workforce to fill the gap by creating a new visa program for the construction and other non-agriculture industries. The bill would provide access to 85,000 visas for temporary foreign workers while ensuring that protections and jobs remain available for American citizens in areas with high unemployment.
H.R. 1740 is just one of several pieces to the puzzle that could provide an effective solution to the labor shortage in construction and other industries while continuing to advocate for the development of the workforce here at home.
To continue the momentum of successful policies implemented within the past two years, both federal and state governments must prioritize workforce development and engage in dialogue with the business community to shape policies that work for workers and employers.
