Future of Work Taskforce Meeting Update
The Illinois Future of Work Taskforce met this week for the third time. We met at the campus of Elgin Community College. It was my first time visiting and it’s an impressive campus.
The first speaker was Darrell West, Vice President of Brookings Government Studies. Mr. West spoke about the shift to a digital economy being accelerated by robotics, AI, and automation. He pointed out that 15% of US counties account for 71% of our nation’s GDP. He also emphasized the need for adult education and questioned who should bear that financial burden.
The Q & A session was particularly interesting as elected officials in the room steered the conversation to portable benefits.
Senator Villivalam said he was interested in a pilot program on the issue and worries about big companies, especially tech companies “distorting competition.” Senator Castro, meanwhile, expressed anger that gig companies do not pay unemployment benefits and worries portable benefits water down other (namely, union) benefits.
Aaron Rieke from Upturn was next. He spoke about AI interviews and predicative technology. His study was based entirely on activities within D.C. and his lack of awareness of Illinois’ groundbreaking AI interview law resulted in pushback from the business community. Also, his assertion that interview questions should only be skills based rather than attitude based seemed backwards. You can teach a skill, but attitude is unchanging. You ever work on a team with an insufferable person? It’s miserable.
Next, Kate Gebo highlighted some of the great work being done by United Airlines. She highlighted the new partnership to help train aviation mechanics in Rockford (more on this below).
I introduced Nicole Overley from Deloitte. She said the United States is in the midst of our fourth industrial revolution. Deloitte expects a loss of 85 million jobs worldwide but this is more than made up by the creation of 97 million new jobs.
Nicole also said 32% of employees worldwide work remotely. This is expected to increase to 51%. In a Bloomberg study from earlier this year, nearly 50% of employees say they’d consider quitting their jobs without the ability to work remotely. As someone with a toddler and a kindergartner, I’m thrilled to get to the office in the mornings and have no idea how these people do it…
My Remarks at the Taskforce
Above, I gave a breakdown about what happened in the meeting. I had the pleasure of introducing Nicole to the taskforce and I wanted to send you a copy of my remarks as they reflect my sense of where the taskforce currently stands:
I’m proud of the work task force is doing but I’m concerned the tone has been unnecessarily pessimistic. Yet the march of human history is undeniably upward. 150 years ago, Zachary Taylor, the President of the United States- the most powerful man in the world- died from drinking water tainted with feces in the White House! No one in this room had a similar concern this morning.
At the turn of the previous century, people were terrified of the loss of jobs for carriage builders and horseshoe makers. Yet look at all the jobs and prosperity created by our friends in the automotive industry. We are all better off because of innovation.
During WWII, an Austrian and Harvard Professor, Joseph Schumpeter taught us the concept of “creative destruction.” That living things- including economies- either change or they stagnant and die. Change is healthy, expected, and welcomed.
Today, technology has made our lives better in immeasurable ways, both large and small. My GPS failed on the drive here. I had to use a paper map and felt like I was interpreting a cave painting. Put me on the Oregon Trail and I’m probably dying of Cholera. Today, United Airlines takes me nonstop to Utah in just a few hours.
If I put a time machine in the center of this room that could give any of you the opportunity to go live in the past, I submit you’d be foolish to do so. The arc of history points upward. If you don't agree with me and want to go back, well, don’t drink the water.
So today, I want to remind this group that the future is not a cliff that we have to worry about falling off. It is a stairway upward and we should embrace it with optimism and enthusiasm.
Other Legislative Updates
HB 1769 Electric Vehicle Incentives Package was signed into law. This bill establishes the "reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act." Provides incentives to Electric Vehicle manufacturers, their suppliers, and electric vehicle power supply manufacturers. Prior editions of the newsletters covered this bill in depth.
HB 4235 (Moylan) was recently introduced. It creates the Electronic Vehicle Combined Charging System Act. Provides that a licensed dealer may not sell an electric vehicle that is capable of direct current fast charging unless the electric vehicle is manufactured with charging equipment compatible with the Combined Charging System or includes an adapter at the time of purchase that allows the vehicle to be charged using the Combined Charging System. Provides that a violation of the Act is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and makes a corresponding change in that Act.
