Young, Peters Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Evaluate Impact of Automation on Workers, Strengthen Workforce Development Strategies

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would better evaluate the impacts of automation on workers in order to inform workforce development strategies and best practices. The Workforce Data for Analyzing and Tracking Automation (DATA) Act would authorize the Bureau of Labor Statistics with the assistance of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to record the effect of automation on the workforce and measure those trends over time, including job displacement, the number of new jobs created, and the shifting of in-demand skills. It also would establish a workforce development advisory board comprised of key stakeholders to advise the U.S. Department of Labor on which types of public and private sector initiatives can promote consistent workforce development improvements.

“It’s clear that automation is rapidly changing the way our workforce operates. We must be able to track those changes in order to support workers needing to adapt to evolving technologies like artificial intelligence. That is why I’m co-leading the Workforce DATA Act to measure continuous, reliable data on the impacts of the latest technological advancements in order to ensure our workers aren’t left behind,” said Senator Young. 

“As technological advancement continues to drive automation in our society, it’s critical we ensure workers reap the benefits of this innovation. My bipartisan bill would help us better understand the real-life impact of these technologies and develop strategies to protect workers while bolstering economic growth and our global economic competitiveness,” said Senator Peters. 

The Workforce DATA Act is also endorsed by the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.