Weekly
Address: Investing in Technology and Infrastructure to Create Jobs
The White House
March 1, 2014
Hi everybody. In my State of the Union Address, I said that
the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job. And after the worst recession of our
lifetimes, our businesses have created eight and a half million new jobs in the
last four years.
But we need to do more to make
America a magnet for good jobs for the future.
And in this year of action, where Congress won’t do that, I will do
whatever I can to expand opportunity for more Americans. This week, I took two actions to attract new
jobs to America – jobs in American manufacturing, and jobs rebuilding America’s
infrastructure.
Here’s why this is
important. In the 2000s alone, we lost
more than one-third of all American manufacturing jobs. One in three.
And when the housing bubble burst, workers in the construction industry
were hit harder than just about anybody.
The good news is, today, our manufacturers have added more than 620,000
jobs over the last four years – the first sustained growth in manufacturing
jobs since the 1990s.
Still, the economy has
changed. If we want to attract more good
manufacturing jobs to America, we’ve got to make sure we’re on the cutting edge
of new manufacturing technologies and techniques. And in today’s global economy, first-class
jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure.
That’s why, on Tuesday, I
launched two new high-tech manufacturing hubs – places where businesses and
universities will partner to turn groundbreaking research into real-world goods
Made in America. So far, we’ve launched
four of these hubs, where our workers can master 3-D printing, energy-efficient
electronics, lightweight metals, and digital manufacturing – all technologies
that can help ensure a steady stream of good jobs well into the 21st century.
Then on Wednesday, I launched a
new competition to build 21st century infrastructure – roads and bridges, mass
transit, more efficient ports, and faster passenger rail. Rebuilding America won’t just attract new
businesses; it will create good construction jobs that can’t be shipped
overseas.
Of course, Congress could make an
even bigger difference in both areas.
Thanks to the leadership of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, there’s a
bill in Congress right now that would create an entire network of high-tech
manufacturing hubs all across the country.
And next week, I’ll send Congress a budget that will rebuild our
transportation systems and support millions of jobs nationwide.
There’s a lot we can do if we
work together. And while Congress
decides what it’s going to do, I’m going to keep doing everything in my power
to rebuild an economy where everyone who works hard has the chance to get ahead
– where we’re restoring our founding vision of opportunity for all.
Thanks, everybody, and have a
great weekend. |
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