Gov. Charlie Baker
HYANNIS – Governor Charlie Baker released the state’s Future of Work Report, outlining how COVID has changed the work environment of the Commonwealth and how the state will respond.
Baker said that a key takeaway from the report is the need to re-credential up to 400,000 workers over the next decade.
Much of the economic change has been brought on by the state’s workforce hubs moving away from cities as more and more people work in hybrid or remote formats.
Existing factors that impact the future of work, including the use of e-commerce and the adoption of automation, have also been accelerated by the pandemic.
“Massachusetts is well-positioned as we emerge from the pandemic and look to promote economic growth, and the Future of Work Report provides us with a roadmap to build on our strengths and address areas that remain challenges,” said Baker.
Baker said the report will guide investments including $2.9 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act towards issues such as housing, job-training, downtown development and transportation infrastructure.
Of the almost $3 billion, $1 billion will go towards housing priorities, $240 million towards workforce training for high-demand industries, $250 million for downtown development and economic growth and $165 million to boost substance use and behavioral health programming.
When it comes to housing specifically, the report estimates that between 125,000 and 200,000 housing units will need to be produced in the Commonwealth by 2030 to support the economy.
Conversely, office real estate demand will fall as more residents work from home.
Supporting childcare is also a key priority of the state, which will see such investments as over $640 million in federal funding, especially to support child care for low-income families.
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