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Washington, DC – According to a recent analysis from National Skills Coalition, employers in each of the 50 states and DC face a shortage of sufficiently trained workers to fill middle-skill jobs. Middle-skill jobs are often overlooked; they require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree and make up the largest part of America’s labor market.
The updated and re-released analysis, “Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs: State by State Snapshots,” shows each state’s current and projected demand for middle-skill jobs, as well as its current middle-skill gap.
NSC State Policy Analyst Brooke DeRenzis explained “this skill gap keeps states’ economies from growing and employers from hiring. Our state by state snapshots are an effort to encourage policies that better align workforce and education investments with employers’ skill needs.”
In 2012, middle-skill jobs accounted for 54 percent of the U.S. labor market, but only 44 percent of the country’s workers were trained to the middle-skill level. Sectors such as manufacturing, health care and construction reported robust demand for middle-skill workers.
“States can close their middle-skill gap by adopting policies that support sector partnerships and career pathways, and by making job-driven investments,” said DeRenzis. National Skills Coalition works with state coalitions and policymakers to promote these strategies.
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National Skills Coalition is a broad-based coalition of employers, unions, education and training providers, and public officials working toward a vision of an America that grows its economy by investing in its people so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper.
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