Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Cities and companies need the same thing: skilled workers.
Driving the news: The metro areas that are more likely to benefit from a skilled workforce have populations that are less inclined to get additional education, per the Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey.
- That's a big problem when you consider how many low- and mid-skilled jobs are expected to be wiped out by automation.
What they're saying: "The coming crisis centers around workforce availability as the baby boomer generation retires and takes a massive cut out of the labor pool, coupled with disruption from AI and machine learning," Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, told Axios. "There's a need for companies to scale technical training in the midst of a massive workforce shift."
Details: The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area is on the higher end of the skills anxiety spectrum, with 50% of people saying they believe they need more education.
- Tech companies — such as Apple, Cisco, Google, Intel — want a worker pipeline in Arizona because it is relatively close to (and much cheaper than) Silicon Valley.
- They've teamed up with the 10 community colleges in Phoenix (with 65,000 students) to create industry academies to train people in specific in-demand skills.
- "It's all about the talent pipeline," Camacho said. "Instead of all these companies doing it on their own, we're seeing them lean into building out the broader base for them to continue and grow and scale in a market that's cost-competitive."
- That, in turn, helps Phoenix-area workers get the skills they need to stay competitive, too.
The bottom line: In cities and states where people express low motivation for enrolling in skills training, guaranteed higher wages or job placement is key to making it worth their while.
- "The clearer the path people can see between education and the desired outcome, the more confidence they’ll have to act," Dave Clayton, SVP of consumer insights at Strada Education Network, told Axios.
Go deeper: The rise of corporate colleges