Democrats must prioritize the workforce to win back the working class

Amid America’s current news cycle, it can be hard to see past the daily barrage of political crises and focus on the underlying policy offerings of each campaign.

But with November rapidly approaching, policymakers — especially Democrats who hope to hold the presidency and win back control of the House — must not forget about the issues voters care about. 

Our organization, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), is looking closely at the issues that matter most to working-class Americans, a constituency once considered the bedrock of the Democratic Party that has been almost completely co-opted by Trump and the populist right. 

And from our internal polling, it’s clear that Democrats — no matter who is at the top of the ticket — have a lot of work to do to reverse this trend and bring at least some of these voters back into our coalition.

Last fall, PPI in partnership with YouGov, surveyed a representative national sample of working-class voters, defined as those without a four-year college degree. While there were many issues that respondents cared about, including housing, tax policy and other economic-related topics, a major priority that came up again and again was workforce development. 

For example, when asked about what is most likely to help working people get ahead, 74 percent stated the need for increased public investment in apprenticeships and career pathways to help non-college workers acquire better skills. Strikingly, only 9 percent said they viewed college as the best option after high school.

To build off these findings, PPI conducted another survey targeting this same group of voters while digging further into specific policy areas. We found respondents want the federal government to invest more in skill development opportunities outside a four-year degree, they want increased access to better jobs and they want to close the wealth gap in this country. However, respondents don’t believe Democrats are prioritizing policies that support these interests.

Results showed that over 40 percent of respondents don’t think Biden is prioritizing job creation, access to broadband in rural America, or resources for job seekers and workers to get the skills needed for good jobs. These responses are incredibly disheartening for Democrats, considering the president’s many legislative successes that have allowed for historic investments in infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing. 

To be clear, many of these investments have already yielded positive results. 

They have helped create 14.8 million new jobs across a wide array of industries. They have encouraged public and private partnerships in talent development through the Good Jobs Challenge.

They’ve allowed for the expansion of registered apprenticeships, supporting the training of more than 1 million apprentices nationwide. And they have bolstered regional economic development, specifically broadband — aiming to ensure all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.

Yet even with these areas of progress, working Americans across the country simply aren’t sold that Democrats are prioritizing their interests. And Biden’s recent lurch to the left won’t do much to help. Instead, PPI recommends the following actions for Democrats trying to win over working Americans in November.

First, we must make substantial changes to our messaging. The administration’s unrelenting push for student loan relief is a central part of the Biden-Harris campaign message. While the policy is a hit for some voters, it frankly means very little to the 62 percent of adult Americans without a college degree who struggle to see what Democrats are doing for them. 

Meanwhile, Republicans are taking advantage of this sentiment by painting Democrats as the party that caters to the highly educated, connecting to these voters despite the fact their party hardly has any meaningful policy offerings for working Americans. Democrats must work to flip this script by spending more time talking up their promising workforce development initiatives and less about loan relief. 

Second, skills-based hiring remains a high priority for these voters. When asked what the biggest barrier is to work, most respondents stated jobs with degrees that don’t need them. This is good news for the Biden-Harris administration, which has continued to support an executive order that removes degree requirements from federal government jobs. 

However, more is needed to ensure that non-degree workers have the same economic opportunities as those with degrees. The Biden-Harris administration can lead on this by focusing on implementing this executive order effectively and ensuring federal contracting jobs are also included. 

State leaders also have a role to play as governors and state legislatures can make these same pledges, opening doors to good government jobs for their constituents. These actions will help move the needle in the public sector and go a long way in influencing private-sector employers to follow suit.

Lastly, policymakers need to support policies that address rising costs by making work pay. While skill development policies are important to voters, the cost of living remains their biggest concern. Many workers, especially those without degrees, are more often stuck in low-wage work, making it harder to afford what’s needed for themselves and their families. 

Many Democrats think the solution is raising the federal minimum wage but it’s difficult to agree on where it should be set due to varying economic conditions across the country — and as our polling shows, most voters don’t support it.

Voters do, however, support PPI’s proposal for a “living-wage tax credit” that would build on the proven success of the Earned Income Tax Credit by expanding the credit to give more low-wage workers a raise — rewarding work and mitigating inequality.

Over the next few months, Democrats must strike the right balance in selling the underappreciated achievements of the Biden-Harris administration while also providing fresh policy offerings to resonate more deeply with American workers.

Central to this effort is a robust communication strategy that highlights its investments in and support for non-degree workers, continued advocacy for policies that dismantle barriers to work, and ongoing initiatives to tackle the cost of living while fostering robust economic growth nationwide. 

The time for action is now; Democrats must seize this moment to demonstrate their commitment to American workers.

Taylor Maag is the director of workforce development policy and Stuart Malec is the national political director at Progressive Policy Institute.