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Opening Statement Prepared for Delivery by
U.S.
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
"Preparing for the Jobs of the 21st
Century"
President's Economic Summit
Washington, D.C.
Thursday,
December 16, 2004
Welcome to the final panel of the economic summit: Preparing Our
Workforce for the Jobs of the 21st Century.
This panel is all about people and their futures. It's about helping
each person realize his or her potential through a good education and a
rewarding career.
Our economy is doing its part. It is on track for sustained economic
growth because of the resiliency and determination of the American people and
the pro-growth policies of this Administration. We've had 15 straight months of
job creation-nearly 2.5 million new jobs-since August 2003. In fact, the total
number of people working in the United States is over 140
million-an all-time high.
Our mission is to ensure that workers are prepared for the 21st century
with a solid educational foundation and the opportunity for continuous learning
throughout their lives.
One of the areas we will focus on is the skills gap-the growing
disconnect in the labor market. Some areas of our economy are experiencing a
surplus of workers while others are experiencing a
shortage of qualified workers.
We must not only ensure that new workers are prepared for
opportunities in high-growth industries. We must also help
dislocated workers make the transition to better paying jobs.
For example, we will need 1 million nurses and a total of 4.6 million
new health-care workers over the next 10 years. Job growth in construction and
the skilled trades is growing-but with a twist. The old paradigm relied on
brawn. The new paradigm calls for workers with the technology skills to
translate architectural blueprints into brick-and-mortar structures.
And then there are the cutting-edge jobs in fields our parents never
imagined, such as biotechnology and nanotechnology to name a few.
It all adds up to this: competency in a single skill will no longer
last a lifetime. Workers today must commit themselves to lifelong learning and
to continually upgrading their skills.
That's why education is such a powerful driver of success. And that's
why President Bush has made upgrading educational standards and expanding
community-level job training two of his domestic priorities.
This morning we'll be hearing from a distinguished panel of experts who
will share their perspectives on where the U.S. labor market is headed and how
to strengthen education and job training.
So, let me introduce our first guest, Deborah Wince Smith.
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