With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the United States economy into a recession, the Lumina Foundation hosted a virtual webinar on Wednesday to discuss labor outcomes, credentials and digital skills necessary to tackle the current job market.
Over 600 people attended the webinar, “Navigating the Work of the Future with LinkedIn and Microsoft,” which also looked at ways the postsecondary education can change within the context of the pandemic and racial inequities.
“I think it is pretty clear that it is time to set a shift in America’s postsecondary education system,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “Both LinkedIn, Microsoft and Lumina Foundation are interested in making learning more accessible and helping to make it more equitable and applicable.”
In August, the unemployment rate was 8.4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Overall hiring within the U.S. has shown minimal improvement since the middle of August, according to Dr. Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn. Industries such as education, state and local governments and entertainment have continued to struggle financially while real estate, health care, transport and logistics are in recovery.
Over the summer, many students and recent graduates received news about cancelled internship programs and rescinded job offers. Naria Santa Lucia, general manager of digital inclusion and U.S. community engagement for Microsoft Philanthropies, said employers must look at ways to keep these programs up and running either by offering other ways to provide workforce experience or urging policymakers to create funding opportunities.
“It’s really important that we do have that long game in mind,” she said, adding that for those seeking employment, the hiring market now goes beyond earning a degree.
