Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

Printer-Friendly Version

Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Diversity Summit 2006 Luncheon
Houston, Texas
Friday, April 28, 2006

Thank you, Miya [Shay, Mistress of Ceremony] for that warm introduction.

It is always great to be in Texas. My boss is from Texas and his love for this state is contagious.

As you heard a moment ago, I am an immigrant to this country. I know first hand the challenges and sacrifices necessary to overcome barriers and blaze new paths. That's why I am so pleased to work for a President who has done so much to reach out to America's diverse communities. He knows that diversity makes our nation strong. And he does not hesitate to celebrate diversity, by tapping Americans from all communities for high-level positions in his Administration.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, for example, is the first Hispanic in our nation's history to be appointed Attorney General. Secretary Condoleezza Rice is the first African American woman to serve as Secretary of State. And, for the first time in America's history, two Asian Pacific Americans serve in the cabinet. In fact, President Bush has appointed more Americans of Asian Pacific American and Hispanic heritage to top positions in the federal government than any other President in history.

The President is providing outstanding leadership for our country in so many ways. And one of his top priorities is ensuring that our nation's economy remains strong and continues to create jobs, and that all Americans have equal access to opportunity.

So today, I'd like to update you on the state of our nation's economy and talk about how workers can best access new opportunities. I would also like to share a little about what the administration is doing to ensure the opportunities of our dynamic economy are available to everyone.

First, let me start by giving you a snapshot of our country's economic progress. The national unemployment rate last month was 4.7 percent — a point lower than the average 5.7 percent unemployment rate of the 1990s! Our economy is the most vibrant of all the major G-7 industrialized nations. It clocked in at an average 3.5 percent GDP growth rate in 2005. America has created 5.2 million net new jobs in the last two-and-half years. Contrast this with Europe where job growth has been stagnant over the last 10 years. And where Germany and France, for example, have permanent unemployment rates nearing 10 percent! In America, more people are working than ever before.

Demand for workers is especially high in the business, computer, engineering, education and health-care fields. In fact, our country will need more than 3 million new workers in the health-care sector, including 1.2 million registered nurses in the next 10 years. Other growing sectors include aerospace, biotechnology, energy, financial services, homeland security, and the skilled trades.

A clear trend is emerging. Our country is transitioning to a knowledge-based economy. The majority of new jobs require higher skills and more education. In fact, two-thirds of the estimated 18 million new jobs created in the next 10 years will be in occupations for which the best path for entry includes some post-secondary education. Post-secondary education can be a 4-year college degree, a 2-year degree from a community college or specialized training like an apprentice program.

Because the majority of these new jobs require higher skills and more education, by definition, they are better paying jobs.

In the 21st century workforce, education is more important than ever before. That's why it's important to emphasize to young people, regardless of their background, to stay in school and get a good education. Then, once out of school, it's important to continue to learn, get training and acquire new knowledge to stay competitive in the job market.

Speaking on a more macro level, it is critical to address the competitiveness of our economy as a whole. The President addressed this head-on during his State of the Union Address by introducing the American Competitiveness Initiative. This Initiative is based on the premise that innovation — the creation of new ideas, products and services — is a critical driver of economic growth in the 21st century.

The President pledged an additional $136 billion over the next decade to:

• Increase U.S. investment in research and development;
• Strengthen U.S. education in math and science; and
• Encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

A key part of his initiative will be of interest to every parent in this audience. It commits an additional $380 million to strengthen the math and science skills of children in public school grades K through 12. That's key because over the next 10 years, there will be more than 6 million new and replacement job openings in occupations that require strong math and science skills. This Administration wants to ensure that all of our nation's children, especially those in traditionally underserved communities, have strong math and science skills so they can access opportunities in our knowledge based economy.

The American Competitiveness Initiative also includes a new program that would help workers gain more control over their own learning and training needs by introducing Career Advancement Accounts. This is a new proposal to empower workers with up to $3,000 to purchase the education or job training that suits them best. $3,000 is roughly the equivalent of a year's tuition at many community colleges. Modeled after Pell grants, Career Advancement Accounts could be renewed for an additional year. Workers could access these training accounts through the publicly funded nationwide network of 3,500 One-Stop Career Centers. This program will have to be passed by Congress before it can be activated. We hope Congress will act favorably on this proposal.

While the Administration works on these initiatives, the Labor Department has launched many special initiatives to help underserved communities access new opportunities in our economy. We are sponsoring partnerships to help Hispanic workers develop greater English proficiency and workplace skills. The Department sponsored a leadership summit with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to help the African American community learn about new opportunities in the high-growth sectors of our economy. And we have reached out to the Asian Pacific American community in many forums to make them aware of these growth opportunities, as well.

I also want to share with you another initiative to help traditionally underserved communities access opportunity. The Department hosts an annual Opportunity Conference. This is designed to help Asian Pacific American, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans gain greater access to emerging opportunities. It offers free workshops on networking, communications and accessing government grant and contracting opportunities. I hope that some of you may be able to participate. You can learn about the Conference on www.opportunityconference.gov, or www.dol.gov.

The Department is committed to ensuring that the doors of opportunity remain wide open for everyone. Enforcing the nation's labor laws is another aspect of the Department's work.

Last year, the Department recovered a record amount for workers who had been subjected to unlawful employment discrimination — more than $45 million. This total reflects a 56 percent increase over what was collected just four years ago.

The Department has also targeted enforcement of our nation's wage and hour laws on low-wage industries that often employ large numbers of vulnerable immigrants. As a result, the Department has recovered record back wages for immigrant workers.

As you know, many of these laws are very complex. So the Department has made a special effort to reach out to previously underserved communities who may not be familiar with them.

The Department sponsored the first-ever Hispanic Health and Safety Summit. Labor law materials have been translated into multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. And the Labor Department is reaching out to the rapidly growing number of African American small business owners by distributing labor law materials through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

When I arrived in this country at the age of eight, speaking no English, I never dreamed that my path would lead me to where I am today. The experiences I had growing up taught me that anything is possible in America. But it's important to recognize that there is no one way to succeed. Each person is free to create his or her own path. Here, you never know where the next opportunity will come from or where it will take you. So, it helps to be open to learning new things, to take risks, to work hard and to never give up on your dreams.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your Diversity Summit and for everything you are doing to strengthen diversity and inclusiveness in your organizations. By building bridges of understanding you help promote one of the great strengths of our nation.

Good luck to you and God bless you all.