Conclusion

Tyree’s friends recently encouraged him to keep an eye out for potential job opportunities that will emerge from the bipartisan infrastructure package that President Biden recently signed into law, formally known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The legislation, which Congress passed in November 2021, will provide $1.2 trillion for infrastructure investments across the country, including over $100 billion for rail and transit infrastructure.

Ideally, the workforce system would play a critical role in connecting workers like Tyree to these types of emerging opportunities that align with their long-term goals. Instead, interviews with workforce development professionals from around the country paint a picture of a system that lacks the ability to serve gig workers due to lack of data, lack of insight on effective strategies for serving this workforce, and the difficulties inherent in a system that was not designed with these workers in mind. Through WIOA reauthorization, lawmakers have an opportunity to address these issues, and ensuring the system is prepared to serve gig workers should be a priority. Without change, too many gig workers will struggle to pursue their career aspirations, and our country will miss out on their talent and passion.

Ensuring the public workforce system is adequately serving gig workers is no substitute for building worker power in our economy, improving working conditions, and properly classifying gig workers. Many gig workers may not need or want career services and would simply benefit from improved gig working conditions. Yet many gig workers and freelancers do not wish to remain in gig work long-term, and the workforce system can potentially help them transition into other employment while efforts to properly classify workers and build gig worker power continue.