COVID-19 has destroyed millions of jobs — It’s time to reskill America – The Hill
Beyond the initial shock of mass unemployment, a growing hunger crisis, and widespread disruption of our routines, COVID-19 has begun to transform the business and employment landscape at a deeper level. It essentially hit the fast-forward button on pre-existing trends toward automation, robotization, and artificial intelligence (AI) as companies race to replace now-risky human contact with digital capabilities and services which endanger jobs in warehousing, manufacturing, and retail.
Other large-employment industries like travel and tourism that could absorb these losses will likely struggle to survive for years to come. Our recovery hinges on getting tens of millions of unemployed workers reskilled and back into jobs — and educating our children to be future-ready.
We learned from the last crisis that education is key to a robust economic recovery. Following the 2008 recession, 11.5 million of the 11.6 million jobs created went to people with at least some college education, and 73 percent to those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. While college graduates made employment gains by 2018, many workers without a college degree were left behind, with an employment rate 2 percent lower than 2007 levels.