New research from NSC, Blue Green Alliance and the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst predicts that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, will support nearly 3 million jobs per year over the life span of the laws. In total, the research shows the investments will support 19 million job-years*.
Yet, hiring trained workers for these jobs (as well as the success of planned infrastructure projects) hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, economic supports, and hiring and career advancement opportunities they need to land jobs in the booming infrastructure and clean energy sectors.
If we are serious about training the next generation of infrastructure workers – as well as ensuring that these investments contribute to an inclusive economy – we need to intentionally open the door to millions of workers who want to train for a new career in infrastructure – particularly workers of color, and women.
That’s why NSC’s has released Building the Future Workforce – a playbook for state policymakers, governors, advocates and state agency leaders who want to cultivate a strong, diverse, multigenerational workforce capable of driving the development and maintenance of our nation’s new infrastructure.
Building the Future Workforce offers six recommendations and four case studies that illustrate how state policymakers can connect more working people to quality infrastructure and clean energy jobs and create benefits for residents, businesses, and communities that rely on the implementation and maintenance of critical infrastructure.
* A job-year is one person working at one job for one year.
