This Labor Day, America’s workforce is stronger than ever

On Labor Day, we honor the achievements of America’s workers, and in 2022 we have a historic victory to celebrate. Our nation’s working people have come all the way back from the depths of a COVID-19 pandemic, regaining every job lost and more.

This milestone seemed impossible to reach on Labor Day two years ago. The pandemic was out of control. Millions of Americans were out of work, and economic forecasters said unemployment could remain elevated for years to come.

Some commentators even lost faith in our national work ethic. Even today, some still say that Americans “don’t want to work anymore.”

What nonsense.

This sour view of workers seems rooted in the belief that they should be happy with whatever they get. A deadly pandemic exposed the limits — and the disrespect — of that attitude.

The truth is, Americans were eager and ready to get back to work. They just needed the right opportunities, the kind President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan delivered. It got vaccines to the people, relief to families, and the kind of support that schools and businesses needed to reopen safely. With these conditions in place, America got back to work — and in a big way.

“America got back to work — and in a big way.”

Since President Biden took office, we’ve added 9.5 million jobs to the economy. The unemployment rate has plunged to 3.5%, matching a 53-year low.

Here in the commonwealth, the unemployment rate is 4.3%, as Pennsylvanians are seizing opportunities like never before.

This job growth has been broad and widely shared. Some said construction would be slow to return. As of July, there were 82,000 more construction jobs than before the pandemic. By this summer, nearly every single job in the vital health-care sector was recovered as well.

Manufacturing, too, has more than fully recovered — and with a set of new laws that will further strengthen our supply chain and invest in homegrown research and development, including in nanotechnology, clean energy, and artificial intelligence, we are set to lead the world in the industries, and good jobs, of the future.

Ours is a remarkable story of resilience and recovery. As a former construction worker, I’m not surprised. Working people are proud of their work and who they are. The pandemic didn’t change that.

As I travel the country as labor secretary, I talk to workers and job-seekers, and — everywhere I go — Americans want a fair chance to earn decent wages, support their families, make meaningful contributions, and achieve financial security.

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Last fall, I met with apprentices at the Philadelphia Port, who are being trained through a first-of-its-kind workforce initiative — the Citizens Bank Regional Maritime Training Center — to fill the good, family-sustaining maritime industry jobs of tomorrow.

Consider, too, the bipartisan infrastructure law. It’s creating thousands of good-paying jobs that don’t need a college degree. America’s workers are doing what they do best — rebuilding their communities, revitalizing our industries, and securing a healthy future for our children.

We’re also reducing inequality. In this recovery, wages have gone up the fastest for workers of color and workers with a high school degree or less. We are determined to continue this progress. To unlock the full potential of our economy, we must empower all of our nation’s workers, especially those who got shut out in the past.

We advance all our goals now from a position of strength. The Inflation Reduction Act will not only lower costs for working families, it will create good jobs for years to come. America’s workers — diverse and determined — are going to win our clean energy future.

Every recovery has a lesson to teach. Here’s one for this Labor Day: Never bet against America’s workers.

Marty Walsh is the U.S. secretary of labor.