Workers of color, immigrants, and workers with a high school degree or less have suffered the greatest job losses during this pandemic and are overrepresented in jobs that have been hardest hit by the economic downturn. Yet policymakers still have not developed a national workforce and re-employment strategy that focuses on the workers and small businesses that have been most impacted by the economic crisis.

To address that need, we developed a set of policy goals, principles, and a call to action for state and federal policymakers to leverage skills policy to help build an inclusive economic recovery. These include:

1. A safety net that supports workers’ long-term pathway to a skilled career. Remove barriers to our nation’s safety net for all workers, including those impacted by the pandemic, and make it a foundation for new career pathways.
2. A comprehensive approach to re-training and re-employment for all displaced workers.  Guarantee income, healthcare, training, and re-employment support for any worker who loses a job due to economic disruptions such as pandemics, automation, or trade.
3. Publicly funded job creation that includes training for those in need of a new career. Ensure job creation efforts, such as those around infrastructure or an expanded public health workforce to fight the pandemic, include investments in skills that expand access to longterm careers for local workers.
4. Support to local businesses to avert layoffs and encourage upskilling. Subsidize small and mid-sized businesses to avert layoffs, keep their employees paid, and support their re-training during down time.
5. Sector partnerships to drive industry-specific training and hiring strategies. Support the partnerships that communities need to develop training strategies targeting the specific needs of individual industries and the local workforce.
6. Digital access and learning for all working people at home and on the job. Eliminate barriers by making high-quality digital learning available to all workers.
7. High quality, job-ready education for those who need to re-enter the labor market, including making college work for working people. Increase system capacity and expand access to high quality, industry driven education and training that prepares workers for good jobs.
8. Public data and accountability regarding who is being included in this recovery. Report data on how different workers and businesses are faring in the recovery and hold policies accountable to equitable outcomes for those most impacted.