“I, Pencil, simple though I appear to be…have a profound lesson to teach. And I can teach this lesson better than can an automobile or an airplane or a mechanical dishwasher because—well, because I am seemingly so simple. Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”
The two Section 201 cases that the president will shortly decide—solar panels and washing machines—are good illustrations of how much the trade landscape has changed in recent years and how unexpectedly complicated these decisions have become.
“Dual enrollment” programs – where students attend both high school and college – are gaining in popularity as college costs soar. It’s a trend that deserves to be embraced and expanded.
Great companies know that their employees are their most valuable asset. That’s why they compete to attract the best talent. For companies hiring workers in the United States, that talent pool is comprised of both native-born Americans – and immigrants. We are lucky because the United States has always attracted top talent from around the world.
The U.S. Congress is set to consider the first major reform of the U.S. tax code in decades. The proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act released on November 2 by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and House Ways and Means Committee Republican Members features significant changes to the way U.S. corporations are taxed and carries implications for how they compete around the world.
North America’s global competitive advantage depends in large measure on maintaining a strong foundation of workforce talent. But employers with North American manufacturing and supply chains are concerned about labor market shortfalls, particularly for frontline jobs in advanced manufacturing and logistics.
Robots are not in every case displacing jobs, but automation is certainly changing the types of jobs available and the skills needed to fill them. Explore this robot map produced by the Brookings Institute to see where the robots are on the move.
At the end of his four-year apprenticeship, Allen Miller will hold a journeyman’s license in industrial maintenance, an associate’s degree from nearby Germanna Community College, and a certificate in “asphalt technology” issued by the Virginia Asphalt Association. He might be the model for the kind of worker the U.S. economy needs more of to succeed.
“In a typical year, I’d be looking at maybe buying more equipment or investing in the business. And now I don’t know what things are going to look like six months from now.”
-Mike Schmitt, CEO
“Our U.S. manufacturing jobs and our 179-year history should not be considered acceptable collateral damage.”
-Jane Hardy, CEO