More than 40 million workers in the United States have filed jobless claims since government imposed shutdowns began going into effect. A transition to the most in-demand jobs may mean a pay cut, unsafe environment, or poor prospects for growth for many unemployed Americans. Is there another way forward?
New America has reported that one way to assist the millions of out of work Americans is for congress to invest in good jobs that integrate education and training with paid work, subsidizing apprenticeships or paying the wages of new hires while they attend college or attain the necessary credentials. Another is to accelerate skills-based hiring programs and policies that will make a career transition efficient and affordable.
Recently a new cause for concern has emerged in the conversation around coronavirus fallout: a jump in labor-replacing automation as the result of a recession. Brookings’ Mark Muro noted that during the last three recessions of the past 30 years, 88% of permanent job loss took place in “routine,” automatable occupations. While some industries, such as health care, education, and tech are relatively isolated from job displacement, many jobless Americans work in automation vulnerable sectors of the workforce such as restaurants and bars, hotels, personal services, and brick-and-mortar department stores. It is important for these jobseekers to be informed about long-term, resilient job projections so as not to waste time and resources on education, career paths, or credentials that may become irrelevant in a few years time.
We identified 178 low automation risk occupations that presently employ at least 5,000 workers in California and that have (prior to the coronavirus) a positive 10-year projected growth from 2016-2026. In 2018 there were more than 940,000 job postings for the top 20 such occupations.
Skills Based Hiring
A key question for policymakers and employers during the recovery from this crisis is what good jobs will be created to replace the jobs lost, especially those that do not require an advanced degree to earn a family-sustaining wage. How can we set up vulnerable workers to be best suited for the changing economy in places like Fresno county, where only 15% of sales workers and 8% of food service workers have a Bachelor's degree?
With the recent upheaval in the labor market, supporting flexible learning to help workers adapt is more important than ever. The ability to acquire new qualifications and in-demand skills is one way to strengthen resilience to economic shocks and help connect workers to stable, resilient job opportunities. It is also likely that many Americans are better prepared for an unconventional career shift than they know. In Fresno, San Francisco, and the state of California, Microsoft Excel, Customer Service, and Communication Skills were the top three skills requested in March and April 2020.
Nice Work If You Can Get It
How Skillsets Help Workers Stay Relevant and Resilient
By Margaret Streeter
June 8, 2020
New America
Breaking the Two Party Doom-Loop
The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America
January 22, 2020
New America
American democracy is in deep crisis. After years of zero-sum partisan trench warfare, our political institutions are deteriorating and our norms are collapsing. Democrats and Republicans no longer see each other as opponents, but as enemies, unable to engage in healthy debate or compromise. As we move into election season the question looms: what can we do about this?
In his new book Breaking the Two Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America New America Senior Fellow Lee Drutman charts how American politics became so toxic, and makes a case for escaping the "doom loop of two-party warfare." Weaving together history, democratic theory, and cutting-edge political science, Drutman argues that the way to move past the crippling division and dysfunction is to give America true multiparty representation.
On Wednesday, January 22nd, join New America NYC and the Political Reform Program for a wide-ranging conversation with Lee Drutman and Aisha Moodie-Mills that takes a critical look at the growing disillusionment with our political system, exposing some of the myths and misunderstandings about our democratic institutions and exploring how major electoral reform could produce a more representative, responsive, and stable democracy.
Going Rural
Lessons from an Upstate Convening
By Margaret Streeter
December 6, 2017
New America
Over the past decade, Wassaic, New York, population 1,279 has remade itself from a small, dwindling hamlet into a re-emerging cultural hub in an unlikely setting. This transformation was begun, in no small part, by close collaboration between the Wassaic community and the The Wassaic Project a year round artist-residency, exhibition space, and performance venue with a vision for social change. The project emerged from a handful of young initiators who saw promise in the town’s key architectural assets: the vacant seven-story grain elevator is now a stunning exhibition space; the massive auction barn, a studio and workshop.
It was here last weekend that a diverse crowd walked, drove, and took the train to the last stop on the Hudson Line for an afternoon workshop co-presented by New America NYC. The convening brought together local and national leaders in art, policy, and philanthropy to discuss the role of arts education, higher education, and regional catalysts for economic growth in the Dutchess county region.
The Workshop
The day-long symposium was structured around a series of breakout sessions, with an interactive survey bookended by two large panel discussions. Eve Biddle, a co-founder of the Wassaic Project welcomed the first panel by emphasizing the unique format of the afternoon as an exchange between many facets of the community — both on and off the stage.
New America fellow Katherine Zoepf began the session, “The Lessons of Art Curriculums in Rural Education” by asking panelists what “positive impact” meant for each of them personally. All spoke to the short and long-term benefits of the arts, both for the well-being of the community, as well as the students themselves. Many spoke to the identity-affirming effects that exposure to mentors, new perspectives, and collaboration has on youth. Linda Marston-Reid, the director of Arts Mid-Hudson, and Jenny Hansel,of the North East Community Center, emphasized the long-term effects arts enrichment has in providing “21st century skills” like critical thinking, empathy, and confidence. Craig Wickwire, an art teacher at Webutuck High School, acknowledged the more immediate impact of arts education:
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