Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: A 2019 Government Accountability Office report found that while there are many Federal employment and training programs, their total funding levels remain at nearly $20,000,000,000, or less than 0.1 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States. The number of workers receiving federally supported training has declined in the past 3 decades as advances in technology have simultaneously shifted labor market demand over time. Job losses from automation are more likely to impact women, people of color, and workers making less than $40,000 annually.
The COVID–19 pandemic accelerated trends in automation, with 43 percent of businesses in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs survey indicating they plan to reduce their workforce as a result of technology integration. Strong Federal investment in expanding training services for workers whose jobs may be lost due to automation could prepare the United States workforce to better adapt to changes in the labor market and enter into skilled positions in technologically oriented occupations and industries.
A focus on preparing the workforce of the United States for jobs that utilize advanced technologies and require digital literacy could grow wages, increase economic productivity, and boost the competitiveness of the United States. Studies show that the United States would need to invest $72,000,000,000 more annually just to reach the average investment in workforce policies of other industrial countries. For training alone, the United States would need to invest nearly $8,500,000,000 just to reach the average amount invested by member countries of the Organisation on Economic Co-operation and Development.