Why a nationwide workforce development push is needed

It’s time for leaders across the country to focus on jobs. 

We know how that might sound when you hear the news of labor shortages, see signs from fast-food restaurants offering up to $20 an hour to prospective employees, and watch the national unemployment rate dip below 4 percent. 

The nation’s recovery has been messy; jobs seem plentiful, but workers remain hard to find, the supply chain is still struggling to catch up, and inflation threatens all gains.

More importantly, we cannot afford to lose sight of the bigger picture in the years ahead. The economy continues to change rapidly, and all the extraordinary shocks of the past two years could morph into larger, long-term systemic changes. Before the pandemic, many middle class jobs were being lost to automation — a trend only exacerbated by the realities of a post-COVID economy.  

If the United States fails to keep up with the demands for higher-skilled workers, other countries stand to gain. China, in particular, has been planning and competing on this front for years. And as supply chain woes continue, left behind will be those who are always left behind: working families. 

While we don’t always agree, we recognize the urgent need to prioritize workforce development. Dallas is starting this conversation now, as demonstrated by Mayor Johnson’s appointment of the city’s first-ever workforce czar and Rep. Van Duyne’s focus on returning over $20 million to local small businesses, as well as hosting a nationally recognized job fair last year. That conversation needs to be elevated to the top of the agenda both locally and nationally. The future will belong to the cities, states, and countries that are focused on workforce development. 

Adult education and upskilling workers is among the most important and least discussed issues of our time. Today’s focus on clickbait and sexy headlines means discussions about housing, health care costs, and inflation rarely touch on strategies to increase opportunity and raise incomes. 

The debates about housing affordability focus far too much on government subsidies for housing and not nearly enough on helping people increase their earning potential so they can afford to buy or rent market-rate homes. In that way, workforce development could be the most sustainable and effective affordable housing program that currently exists. 

Conversations about raising the minimum wage fail to touch on ways to help people out of minimum-wage jobs and into career paths that can support them and their families for years to come. 

As a former mayor and a current mayor in the booming Dallas region, we have seen the challenges and observed the struggles working families experience. For us, a new focus on workforce development is all about unlocking the potential of Dallas and making the Texas Miracle into something even more expansive. 

And while our political parties might differ on the approach to solving these problems, we can both agree that any one-size-fits-all federal solution will miss the mark. Each city’s workforce issues are unique, and the local entities closest to the people they serve are best equipped to come together and address the challenges their communities face.

That’s why we need local and regional governments, nonprofits, educational institutions, and private-sector employers to come together and better coordinate workforce development efforts. And we need the federal government to focus on bolstering proven programs and methods based on data and facilitating workforce development discussions in cities and towns across the country. 

We believe Dallas, with its booming economy and strong community, can serve as a national model. But all cities, both parties, and national and state leaders should seize the moment now. Because while the jobs numbers might look good today, the competition for the future has already begun. 

Beth Van Duyne is a United States representative for the 24th District of Texas. Eric Johnson is the 60th mayor of Dallas, Texas.