- Georgetown University report suggests that President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal would create or retain 15 million jobs over the next decade
- Majority of jobs would be concentrated in transportation and warehousing
- Analysis suggests that 162,930 jobs would be in Connecticut
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal would create or retain an estimated 15 million jobs over the next decade, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
The report suggests that about 60 percent of these jobs, or 8.89 million, would be concentrated in the transportation and warehousing sector. Another 1.62 million positions would be created or saved in construction and extraction, while office and administrative positions would be boosted by 1.24 million.
The analysis anticipates that the plan would create a strong demand for truck drivers, with 2.81 million positions, as well as 2.64 million jobs for laborers and freight movers. Other fields that would see strong growth would include packers and packagers (716,780), electricians (675,360), and shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks (669,890).
The Southeast and Pacific coast regions would see the strongest job growth, but the report also suggests that 713,000 jobs would be created or retained in New England. These would primarily be concentrated in Massachusetts (314,980) and Connecticut (162,930).
The report cautions that additional workforce training, such as apprenticeships and paid internships, would be necessary to prepare workers for most of the jobs. It also advises that the administration make efforts to open opportunities to women, since 90 percent of infrastructure jobs are currently held by men while women have suffered the brunt of job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
