MARLAINA GUILLAUME: Capitalizing on workforce investments is capitalizing on America’s future

As we mark another Labor Day, we cannot overlook the importance that historic federal investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will have on the Southeast region and the tremendous opportunity they offer to advance efforts to bring greater equity to our nation’s work force.

In fact, more than $40 billion has been distributed as of July 2023 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to rebuild our roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, ensure every American has access to high-speed internet, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice and invest in communities historically left behind.

These investments will significantly boost our regional economy and connect trained workers with top employers. Its benefits, however, will only go so far if we fail to act thoughtfully and make the most of this long-needed investment by helping to elevate women in the region’s work force.

Currently, women comprise 47 percent of the U.S., and the percentage of “prime-age” women from ages 25 to 54 in the labor force has reached an all-time high. Despite their impressive participation and place in the work force, women are still disproportionately sorted into low-wage jobs, including in caregiving jobs. To have a meaningful impact on increasing women’s wages, we must work to improve the pay and conditions in those jobs, as well as ensure that women have access to careers in construction, advanced manufacturing and other male-dominated fields that pay more. Getting women into these careers would also be a boon to Southeast employers as they seek more skilled workers.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau has spent decades learning how to best train women for — and place them into — nontraditional jobs. To be truly successful, we must use an intentional approach and provide wrap-around support services, such as affordable child care and transportation. Research shows women are more likely to complete training when these services are available. It also shows that programs and employer policies must exist to minimize work place discrimination, harassment and violence. While these efforts offer tremendous benefits for working women and their families, they also support economic development in the community.

To fully capitalize on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our region must be committed to taking action to create a diverse and productive work force with skills that employers demand. This Labor Day, let’s remember that excluding nearly half the national labor force from newly created, good-paying jobs is an investment unfulfilled.