Infrastructure Jobs: Diverse, Equitable,and Growing

Image source: https://flic.kr/p/6TDVUe Christopher Cotrell 

A new report by the Brookings Institution titled Beyond Shovel-Ready: The Extent and Impact of U.S. Infrastructure Jobs reveals the contributions that infrastructure jobs make to the nation's economy. The online report allows users to view data, such as infrastructure employment, hourly wages and employment in infrastructure occupations from the top 100 metropolitan areas in the country.

Four major findings pulled directly from the report include:

In 2012, 14.2 million workers were employed in infrastructure jobs across the country, accounting for 11 percent of national employment. Infrastructure occupations tend to offer more equitable wages compared to all occupations nationally, paying over 30 percent more to workers at lower ends of the income scale. More than 80 percent of workers employed in infrastructure occupations typically have short- to long- term on-the-job training, but only 12 percent hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and generally need less education to qualify for these jobs. Infrastructure occupations are projected to increase 9.1 percent during the next decade, including the need to replace more than 2.7 million workers.

The report concludes that these findings should be helpful for policymakers in addressing the nation's infrastructure and jobs deficit.