Subcommittee Discusses Ways to Increase the High-Skilled, High-Paying Workforce in America

Subcommittee Members heard testimony regarding: the impact on workers and communities when jobs move abroad; problems with the current program of Trade Adjustment Assistance in supporting workers whose jobs have been sent off-shore; successes of using community colleges, working with local businesses, to retrain displaced workers; and the need for rethinking our approach to global trade if high-paying employment and a good standard of living are to remain key economic policy goals for the country.

The House Science and Technology Committee has jurisdiction over issues that directly relate to American competitiveness through the authorization of programs that directly contribute to innovation. The Committee annually authorizes the expenditure of billions of dollars to support scientific research and the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers and has taken steps to support retraining of workers for high tech employment opportunities.

As manufacturing and the service industries have been deeply affected by globalization, Committee Members have taken a particular interest in the health of these industries. Members reviewed the structure of international trade to determine the effectiveness of reinvestment and retraining programs. Witnesses were questioned regarding the needs of American workers and communities affected by the globalized economy, as well as the needs of industries relying on highly trained personnel to succeed and grow.

"When output and employment were rising, a productivity gain signified a robust economy," said Miller. "In today's climate, it masks the fact that we are producing less of what we need, and taking home less for doing it."

Subcommittee Members heard testimony from the following:

• Dr. John Russo, Coordinator, Labor Studies Program, Warren G. Williamson School of Business Administration; Co-director, Center for Working-Class Studies; Youngstown State University
• Mr. Frank H. Morgan, Attorney, White & Case LLP
• Mr. Howard F. Rosen, Executive Director, Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition; Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Ms. Jeanie Moore, Vice President for Continuing Education Programs, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
• Dr. Thomas I. Palley, Founder, Economics for Democratic & Open Societies Project
• Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director of Center for Employment Policy, Senior Fellow, the Hudson Institute

This was the second hearing in a series. The first hearing, on May 22, assessed the effects of globalization of jobs and technology on American’s economy by examining what influences American firms’ decisions to locate their production and research facilities abroad.

For more information on this hearing including witness testimony, visit the Committee’s website.

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