Government groups seek assistance in filling infrastructure jobs

From Transport Topics.

State and local government groups are calling on Congress to create a national workforce strategy for transportation jobs as Connecticut grapples with a need for 450 engineers to spend federal infrastructure funds.

The National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, National Conference of State Legislatures, International City/County Management Association and National Association of Counties issued a May 20 statement calling for Congress to help make it easier for public and private employers to find workers for federally funded infrastructure projects.

“With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, there is a pressing need to fill positions within the sectors that will build and maintain our nation’s roads, bridges, water systems and broadband networks. But, hiring for infrastructure jobs is a significant challenge — the median infrastructure job takes 20% more time to fill than a non-infrastructure job,” the group noted.

They asked Congress to invest in national skills training systems and programs to meet employer demand. They also requested Congress increase legal immigration by raising employment-based visa program caps to expand the number of qualified people for hard-to-fill jobs such as truck drivers, heavy-equipment operators, agricultural workers and engineers.

“Increasing the pool of qualified candidates to fill critical positions is essential to strengthening our economy in years ahead,” the statement noted. “State and local governments are committed to engaging with our federal partners toward our common goal of adopting effective strategies to meet our nation’s workforce needs.”

See the complete article online at Transport Topics.