Section 2: Twelve Reexamination Areas
Education and
Employment
Challenges for
the 21st Century
The shift to a global economy and changes in technology, the nature
of work, and workforce demographics are challenging customary
federal approaches to education and employment. The global
economy and advances in technology enable work to be shifted to
other countries or render some jobs obsolete. If we are to compete
effectively in a growing, knowledge-based economy, our educational
system must equip children with appropriate skills to meet high
standards and provide means for adults to continue to learn new
skills and enhance their existing abilities. This will require ensuring
that diverse populations have access to postsecondary, vocational,
and adult education. As an increasingly volatile job market creates
and eliminates jobs, federal programs that train new workers or
support workers who lose their jobs must also be capable of
responding to sudden changes in the economy. Federal efforts to
protect workers must account for changes in the nature of work:
membership in organized labor has declined, traditional work
arrangements are giving way to alternatives such as temporary
employment and teleworking, and lifelong service with a single
employer is becoming much less common.
Changes in workforce demographics pose additional challenges.
The U.S. labor force has more than doubled in the past 50 years but
is now growing at a much slower rate. Women, who helped fuel past
workforce growth, are expected to join the workforce at a constant
rate, and baby boomers are likely to begin retiring in large numbers
in less than 5 years. As a result, those leaving jobs are expected to
outnumber those seeking jobs in certain industries. The tighter job
market will challenge federal efforts to ensure that employers have
enough workers with the right skills to help promote economic
growth. This trend also underscores the importance of addressing
current pension, disability, health, and immigr