Could people with useful skills work together to create better jobs instead of waiting for Washington? A listener’s question leads me through Adam Smith, the incentives of business owners, and the relationship between worker skills and wages. If we want businesses to grow and workers to earn more, we need to understand what each side can contribute.
I consider a privately funded nonprofit that could bring local businesses, educators, and communities together around practical training. Its work would need to reflect real employer needs and be judged by results such as job placements, wage gains, and productivity. The idea has funding and scaling challenges, and it does not settle the public responsibility for low wages. What could we begin building while the larger debate continues?
Read the essay and sources: https://joelkdouglas.com/2025/01/28/instead-of-waiting-for-washington/
