U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling today expressed strong support for President Trump’s newly unveiled national strategy on artificial intelligence, titled “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan.”
The strategy was developed in direct response to the President’s January Executive Order, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” and lays out a detailed roadmap of targeted policy actions designed to help the United States secure global leadership in AI.
A central theme of the plan is the vital role American workers will play in advancing the nation’s AI objectives. The strategy highlights two major initiatives that underscore the Department of Labor’s contribution to preparing a future-ready workforce: “Empower American Workers in the Age of AI” and “Train a Skilled Workforce for AI Infrastructure.”
“Since day one, President Trump has made it his top priority to put American Workers First by expanding opportunity and ensuring all are prepared for the challenges of the future,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “By boosting AI literacy and investing in skills training, we’re equipping hardworking Americans with the tools they need to lead and succeed in this new era. The Department of Labor is proud to help deliver on the President’s vision for global AI dominance by building a stronger, more resilient American workforce.”
Deputy Secretary Sonderling echoed those sentiments, stating, “The AI Action Plan demonstrates President Trump’s bold leadership in driving forward a worker-centric AI strategy that will create a new era of economic prosperity for American workers. The Department of Labor looks forward to executing the critical AI Action Plan efforts that will support our workforce, including expanding AI literacy nationwide, creating a new hub to analyze AI’s impact on the labor market, and piloting innovative models to help workers succeed in an AI-driven economy.” Our DC attorneys are here to help through theses changing times.
Empowering Workers in the Age of AI
The “Empower American Workers in the Age of AI” initiative outlines several proposed actions for the Labor Department, in coordination with other federal partners, including:
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Making AI skills development a top priority in federal workforce and education programs, including career and technical education, apprenticeships, and other initiatives.
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Launching the AI Workforce Research Hub, a new federal center tasked with analyzing AI’s effects on the labor market and workforce, conducting scenario planning, and providing policy insights.
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Supporting continuous analysis of AI’s impact on jobs, including adoption trends, job creation and displacement, and wage shifts.
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Funding rapid retraining programs for workers displaced by AI, and offering guidance to help states and local agencies proactively upskill workers at risk of future disruption.
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Piloting innovative training models to address emerging workforce needs in an AI-driven economy, including rapid response strategies and new entry-level job pathways.
Building the AI Infrastructure Workforce
Under the “Train a Skilled Workforce for AI Infrastructure” initiative, the Labor Department will collaborate with other agencies to:
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Launch a national initiative to identify high-priority jobs essential to the development and support of AI infrastructure.
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Work with state and local governments and industry stakeholders to design and scale industry-led training programs focused on critical AI roles.
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Partner with educators and workforce systems to expand early exposure and pre-apprenticeship programs for middle and high school students interested in AI careers.
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Grow the number of Registered Apprenticeships in occupations fundamental to building and maintaining AI infrastructure.