PRESS RELEASES

For more information about press releases or for interviews, contact Rachel Unruh, Communications Director

Nearly One Million "Middle-Skill" Job Openings Projected for Illinois by 2014; New Report Refutes Claims of "Hourglass" Skilled Labor Market (September 22, 2008)
Countering assumptions that a college education will be the only ticket to a stable economic future in Illinois, nearly one million openings in “middle-skill” jobs—those that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree—are projected for the state by 2014, according to a new study released today by experts from The Workforce Alliance (TWA) and the Skills2Compete-Illinois campaign, an affiliate of the national Skills2Compete campaign.

Skills2Compete-Washington Calls for First Steps in Two-Year Guarantee (June 19, 2008)
The Skills2Compete-Washington campaign released Washington's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs, which finds that middle-skill jobs make up the largest portion of the state's labor market. As such, campaign leaders are calling for the expansion of the state's Opportunity Grant to all residents as a first step in realizing a two-year skill guarantee.

Leading Economists Refute Hourglass Economy: Middle-Skill Jobs Still Comprise Half of all Jobs (Nov. 12, 2007)
National Association of Manufacturers, International Association of Machinists Join Over 100 Endorsers to Call Attention to Findings, Need for New National Workforce Vision