Remarks at the
Employment Expansion Forum Sponsored by the Department of Labor
Opening
Remarks
The President. Good morning. I'm
looking forward to hearing from each of you on what you think -- both what the
private sector and what government can do to make sure that our 59 months of
growth and job creation continue. You should all be proud of the nearly 14
million jobs that we've created since the expansion began.
The
trend toward higher education requirements is striking. Since I know that many
of the new jobs created between now and the year 2000 will require educational
backgrounds beyond the high school level, I'm interested in hearing you and
your thoughts on this. And another challenge facing us in the year 2000 will be
the demographic changes in the work force and additional numbers -- women,
minorities, immigrants. And we need to make sure that
our markets remain the -- or keep the dynamic flexibility that has served us so
well in creating new job opportunities.
I've
always been a firm believer in the power of the people -- that when we get the
government out of their way, problems can be solved more quickly and more
efficiently. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts -- all of you -- on how
the private sector can rise to meet the challenges that are facing the work
force now and in the future. And that's enough from me because it's time for me
to listen and learn from each of you.
B
Closing
Remarks
The President. Well, Bill, thank you,
and thank all of you very much. It's been a great pleasure and certainly a
learning experience to be here at the Labor Department. Let me just begin
though, if I can, with a special thanks to Secretary Brock, who's leaving all
of us. Bill, you've been a dedicated public servant and a trusted adviser, and
we'll miss you in the Cabinet. If I was really smart, I'd stop right there.
[Laughter]
Secretary
Brock. You're doing fine. [Laughter]
The President. Well, we've been
briefed by several people, and very well, and I'll try to keep my remarks
short. Although whenever I do run over, I remember a quip of President
Eisenhower's. To paraphrase him, he said that one good thing about being
President is that nobody can tell you when to stop talking. [Laughter]
But,
I had a lesson some years ago -- I've related it many times, but not for some
years -- about the importance of brevity in a speech or remarks. It was taught
to me by the Reverend Bill Alexander of
Well,
Bill took that as a cue, and an hour and a half later said amen. [Laughter] He
went down and said, ``My friend, you seem to have
stuck with me and, like I told you, I'm a young preacher getting started. What
did you think?'' ``Well,'' he said: ``like I told you, I don't know about that
sort of thing, but I do know this: If I loaded up a truckload of hay, took it
out in the prairie and only one cow showed up, I sure as hell wouldn't give her
the whole load.'' [Laughter]
But
I would like to talk to you today about a new term that I recently read in the
newspaper, and it's called job power. And it comes
from an article in the Christian Science Monitor that ran with the headline,
``Employers Pound Streets for Young and Choosy Workers.'' Well, they can afford
to be choosy, the article says, because jobs in their area -- the Middle
Atlantic -- are plentiful. They quote one high school student named Tom, who
had turned down a $5-an-hour internship at the courthouse to take an
$8-to-$10-an-hour job doing construction. ``Everyone can get a job,'' says
young Tom. ``You just pick your first choice.'' Sometimes you don't even have
to go looking for a job -- the jobs come looking for you.
Megan,
a high school junior, tells of how she was sitting on the front steps of the
library when a man from the local shoe store came by and said he needed someone
to work for him. Megan declined the offer, because she already had another job.
Well, those are only two anecdotal examples. Not every section of the country
shares in this good fortune. In
One
expert in demographics predicts that it's only a matter of time before the
experiences of young people like Megan and Tom spread across the entire
country. The high employment today that's found in
Well,
as employers will be the first to tell you, the problem isn't just finding
people, it's finding people with the necessary skills.
And that's what Bill Brock is talking about when he refers to Work Force 2000
-- that the workers between now and the turn of the
century have the skills requisite for the jobs being created. And the reason we
can celebrate job power today is our growing economy, an economy liberated by
tax cuts, deregulation, and declining inflation. This month of October marks
the 59th straight month in our economic expansion, and as of November, we'll
have broken all
Since
it began, our gross national product has risen some 20 percent, well above that
of comparable expansions. We've been creating jobs at an average rate of almost
a quarter of a million a month, as Bill told us, for a total of nearly the 14
million new jobs, as you've seen. And we're not just creating more jobs, we're
creating better jobs. According to Labor Department data, nearly two-thirds of
the new jobs have been in the higher paying occupations, and we've seen that
here now in the charts, with only 12 percent in lower paying, low-skill
occupations. Over 90 percent of the jobs are full-time. In short, we're talking
about continuing job creation with jobs that are better paying, more challenging,
safer, and more rewarding. So much for the so-called McJobs thesis.
One
of the groups that has benefited most from this job
surge is, as we've been told, the black community. Employment of blacks has
increased twice as fast as employment of whites. Since 1982, the real income of
black families, as we've been told, has increased almost 40 percent faster than
white family income. And the share of black families in the highest income
bracket is up by over 70 percent. This August, the percentage of blacks employed
was the highest on record, as was the percentage of all Americans employed.
Economics columnist Warren Brookes looked at this record and concluded that,
and I'll quote: ``On every front -- jobs, income, even
household wealth -- this, 1981 through 1986, has been the best 5 economic years
in black history.''
Well,
so far I've concentrated on employment. But that's only one indication of the
strong and vital economy that we have today. I could talk about how inflation
is holding low and steady; how real household income is way up; how
manufacturing productivity has surged ahead, well above the postwar average;
and industrial production has outpaced Europe and Japan. All of this is
concrete evidence of an economy that is strong and fundamentally sound. It is
an economy, judged in pure economic terms, that has a very bright future before
it, a future of growth, low inflation, and high employment.
We've
seen in the last week, however, that there is real concern on Wall Street. The
recent turbulence in the stock market suggests that those who are investing in
the future of our economy are worried that some roadblock may be put in the way
of that future. The market is constantly reacting to an almost infinite flow of
information. There may have been hundreds of factors affecting the uneasiness
on Wall Street, but I think it's appropriate to single out some of the more
likely ones: The first are domestic, and I think it's fair to say, primarily
political in origin. I say political, because they have more to do with the
actions -- and lack of action -- of the government than with American business
people, entrepreneurs, and workers. As I said, the business of
Those
who have to make the decision on whether or not to invest in the future of our
economy see some very disturbing signs on Capitol Hill. For
one, a dangerously protectionist trade bill working its way through conference.
If passed, that bill would threaten a spiraling trade war and could very well
bring our economic expansion to an end. And if it comes to that, I will have no
choice but to veto it. The devastating effect on employment -- on all those
jobs I mentioned -- would only be a part of the effect of protectionist trade
legislation. Of the roadblocks that could be thrown in the way of our economic
expansion, Wall Street knows protectionism is one of the worst. At the same
time, we see a Congress that is unable to get control of deficit spending. It
backed away from its Gramm-Rudman promises. And there
are many who, while refusing to cut spending, insist on increasing taxes.
The
disruption in our markets is sending a signal loud and clear to get our
economic house in order. And that is why, last night, I called for the
bipartisan leadership in Congress to meet with me on Tuesday to arrange the
process for reducing the Federal deficit. And as I said, I will listen to them
but they must listen to me on the need to send a clear signal that spending
will be restrained. And I'm asking every Member of Congress who agrees that we
should reject protectionist legislation, every Member who agrees that tax
increases are not the solution, to join with me in showing our support for
As
I've said, I think the markets are reacting more to the actions -- and
inactions -- of government than to the deficit itself, which has been shrinking
-- down nearly 30 percent since the last fiscal year. But while that deficit
exists, the uneasiness will remain. And that's why we're going to go back to
Congress and, in light of what's happened, redouble
our efforts to cut the deficit by cutting away overspending. Congress has made
no effort to seriously restrain domestic spending. Just freezing spending at
last year's levels would yield substantial deficit reduction. Overspending
endangers our economy. And each one of those cherished special interest
programs is going to have to justify itself against the good of the whole
Nation.
But
let me just close with a message to all those in government. The story of this
historic 59-month expansion is first and foremost, as you heard up here today:
a study of individual achievement, of the historic struggle -- or the heroic
struggle of entrepreneurs; the hard work and dedication of laborers; the
ingenuity and creativity of our business community; and just the plain, raw
power of American industry. All that's asked of us is not to get in their way,
to keep the business environment as free and as stable as possible. Freedom and
stability, that's all our economy needs. That's all Americans need to keep this
economy growing well into the next decade.
A
little example of that was sent to me by a man the other day who's an emminent scholar -- speaks fluent Russian. He was on a trip
to
But
now, before I go, there are a few special American workers that I want to
mention. Recently, the country was riveted, as you know -- all of us -- to the
story of tiny Jessica McClure. And I think that we all said prayers of thanks
when that story had a happy ending. And I think we're also very thankful in our
hearts for the generous people who worked around the clock, through fatigue,
past exhaustion, to save little Jessica. And, of course that's why I'm happy
and I think we all are that three employees of the Department of Labor who work
for the Mine Safety and Health Administration are here with us today, having
done their job so well.
Wayne
Kanack is the manager of the southwestern division.
When he heard of Jessica's plight, he called on the two best people he could
think of -- Dave Lilly and Sid Kirk -- both experienced hard-rock miners.
Working closely together, they directed the rescue operation, drilling a hole parallel to the well and then digging a shaft across to
reach Jessica. In fact, Dave Lilly chipped away by hand the last few inches of
rock to make the first physical contact with little Jessica. Now, I know
another Midlander, Vice President Bush, has awarded
you a certificate of recognition. Wayne and Dave and Sid -- I think you've
understood here already this morning that we're all very proud
of you.
And
now, I'll just close with one more little episode. I received a letter the
other day from a gentleman that pointed something out I hadn't thought of, and
a subject that I think all of us are aware of, however. This man, in his
letter, said that you can go to live in France, but you can't become a
Frenchman; you can go to live in Japan, but you cannot become Japanese; or
Turkey and not become a Turk; or Greece and become a Greek. But he said anybody
in the entire world can come to this country and become an American.
Note: The President
first spoke at