The City of Dallas has released a report on how to prepare residents for "the jobs of tomorrow." Mayor Eric Johnson announced the report would be released by the end of the week during his State of the City address Wednesday.
"This report is the result of months of research and conversations with experts and partners in our community," he said.
The report was funded through Bloomberg Philanthropies and was led by an outside consultant working with Dallas College and local organizations.
The report breaks down demographics of the city and makes several recommendations to prepare people for a changing workforce. A 2019 report by Brookings Institution estimated automation could threaten 25% of jobs in the U.S. "in the coming decades," with 36% of jobs facing "medium exposure to automation by 2030."
The report makes four recommendations.
Among them is the hiring of a "workforce liaison." That person would track the city's progress and provide "greater accountability for city-led initiatives and opportunities to more easily collaborate with city support in ongoing workforce development efforts."
The report also recommends Dallas make formal agreements with existing workforce development groups to align their efforts, increase communication to promote job training programs and provide better online options for people to find "upskilling" classes and options.
The report says adults 35-64, considered "working-age adults," make up more than a third of Dallas residents, but they are less educated than those adults 25-34.
"Unique barriers exist for working-age adults to tap into opportunities to increase their education level – childcare, work commitments, family commitments, funding support, etc.," the report states.
The report says among those adults 35-64, Black and Hispanic residents are "significantly less educated" than whites.
"A strong correlation exists between education and earnings, and with lower levels of education, Blacks and Hispanics earn less than Whites."
According to the report, 8.6% of white Dallas residents live below the poverty line, compared with 22.1% of Hispanics and 26.2% of Black residents. Of white Dallas residents, 53% have completed college; 20% of Hispanic residents have a bachelor's degree or higher and 26% of Black residents have completed college.
The report says workforce development organizations can help working-age adults with "low educational attainment" move into growing sectors that do not require a college degree, including sales managers, food service managers and construction trades.
The report predicts 17% job growth over the next ten years among electricians and plumbers and 17% growth for construction supervisors.
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