Speeches by Deputy Secretary of Labor Howard Radzely
Archived Speech — Caution: Information may be out of date.
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Howard Radzely
Sixth Annual Opportunity Conference
Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel
Orlando, Florida
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Good afternoon everyone, and thank you, Eugene [Ramirez, Central Florida News 13, Master of Ceremonies], for that kind introduction.
I am honored to be here in Orlando, and I'd like to thank Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kothkamp for taking time out of his schedule earlier today to address this conference.
I would also like to acknowledge our co-sponsors:
- The Women Entrepreneurs, Incorporated;
- The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
- The National Urban League; and
- The U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
And I'd also like to thank all of the partners and exhibitors whose support has been critical to the success of this conference over the years, as well as all of the many volunteers who work hard to keep things running smoothly.
Finally, I'd like to express my appreciation to Karen Czarnecki, Director of the Office of the 21st Century Workforce, and Anna Hui, Associate Deputy Secretary, and all of their colleagues who worked so hard to bring us together.
This annual Opportunity Conference is the only government conference of its kind to focus exclusively on the economic development needs of the three largest ethnic communities and fastest growing segments of the 21st century workforce — the Asian Pacific, Hispanic, and African American communities.
As you may know, Secretary Chao launched the first Opportunity Conference in 2003 to help traditionally underserved communities grow, and also access opportunities in mainstream America. The goal then — as now — is to level the playing field and ensure equal access to opportunity for everyone.
I know you were expecting to hear from Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. I know many of you have given speeches, so I am sure you can appreciate how hard it is to fill someone else's shoes — especially someone as accomplished as Secretary Chao. And, frankly, I really can't wear three-inch heels. Seriously, though, I am extremely honored and pleased to stand in for my boss, Secretary Chao. And before I begin my remarks, I'd like to show a brief, heartfelt message from the Secretary to all of you.
[SECRETARY'S VIDEO]
As you have just seen, the Secretary has an especially deep appreciation for the contributions that all of you are making to our workforce, and I fully share her appreciation. Clearly, we have come a very long way. I have seen it first of all among my colleagues in this Administration. President Bush has appointed more Americans of Hispanic, Asian Pacific and African descent to top positions than any other president in history. I am proud to work for a leader who has done so much to reach out to our communities and placed so many ethnic Americans at the highest levels of government.
Together, Asian Pacific, Hispanic, and African Americans are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, opening record numbers of small and medium-size businesses. This is especially important because, historically, entrepreneurship has provided the best path to success for traditionally underserved communities.
The latest Census Bureau figures note that the number of businesses owned by women has risen by 20 percent. Asian American business ownership has risen by 24 percent. Businesses owned by Hispanics have risen 31 percent. And African American business ownership has risen by 45 percent. By any standard, that is real progress!
With achievements like this, it is clear that your future is our Nation's future, and we all have a tremendous stake in ensuring that America's major ethnic communities are vibrant, prosperous and become even more integral to the U.S. workforce.
As the Secretary just noted, at the Department of Labor we are doing our part to keep this momentum going.
First, we are aggressively enforcing America's employment laws to ensure that workers — especially vulnerable Hispanic, Asian Pacific, and African Americans – are safe and fairly compensated. Accordingly, we have made a special effort to target enforcement of wage and hour laws on low-wage industries that employ large numbers of vulnerable workers. As a result, the Department has recovered record back wages in these areas, and more and more employers fully understand the sometimes confusing employment rules and regulations in this country. It is difficult for all employers, especially small businesses, to navigate the many laws, rules and regulations that govern employment. That is why the Department has focused not only on strong, fair enforcement but also on Compliance Assistance. By providing guidance and help to employers, we can help them comply with the law — not simply punish them if they break it.
The Department is committed to providing its customers — America's employers, workers, job seekers, and retirees — with clear and easy-to-access information on how to comply with federal employment laws. This information is a cornerstone of the Department's efforts to protect the wages, health benefits, retirement security, employment rights, safety, and health of America's workforce. If you'd like more specific information on what we offer for your business, take a moment to visit our website at www.dol.gov.
Second, we are translating our Labor Department publications and our Websites on health, safety and fair compensation into multiple languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish — and more are on the way. In addition, we have also hired interpreters to assist non-English speakers who call the Labor Department's telephone center.
But making the workplace safer and more accessible is only one part of helping minority communities realize the American dream. That is why I am particularly proud of our programs to help every American learn what it takes to become a small business owner.
In 2006, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Labor launched Project GATE — Growing American Through Entrepreneurship — to promote small business development in urban and rural communities, particularly historically underserved Asian Pacific, Hispanic and African-American populations. I would like to thank Sandy Baruah, Acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration for his help in making Project GATE so successful. I know you will be hearing from him this afternoon.
I am especially pleased so many members of the faith-based community are participating in today's conference.
This Administration also has a strong record of reaching out to and working with faith-based and community organizations. The President has done a great deal to eliminate the barriers to full access to Federal government opportunities. Today, there are structures in place in a dozen federal departments to help faith-based and community organizations access partnership opportunities.
Last year, the Federal government awarded more than $20 billion in competitive grants to faith-based and community organizations, and the Labor Department itself awarded more than $187 million in competitive grants in this area. The simple fact is, we recognize and deeply value the contribution of faith-based and community organizations to our nation and to our nation's workers.
Many of you here today represent our nation's community colleges. The Secretary has been a strong proponent of education, and the Department has been committed to working with community colleges, especially through the Community-Based Job Training Grant Initiative. As America moves into the second decade of this new century, our country will need millions of highly skilled workers to fill the jobs our evolving economy will create. The U.S. will need to fill job openings for nearly 3 million healthcare professionals, especially nurses. We will need over 950,000 engineers, including aerospace, biomedical, civil, computer software, and environmental engineers. We will also need workers in other high growth industries including nanotechnology, geospatial technology, and the life sciences, to name a few. In fact, health services — along with professional and business services — currently account for nearly one-fifth of total employment in the U.S. These sectors are projected to account for more than half of U.S. employment growth by 2016.
These aren't the kinds of jobs you can access with a high school education alone. Our higher education system is going to play an increasingly critical role in preparing the next generation of American workers. I am proud of the success the Department has had in integrating the nation's community colleges into the workforce investment system. The flexibility, accessibility and adaptability of our 1200 community colleges will be key to our continued competitiveness in this global economy.
Integrating community colleges into the public workforce investment system is just one part of our efforts to transform the system so that it can better support our 21st century workforce. Every year, the federal government spends more than $12 billion training dislocated workers administered through a nationwide network of 1,900 One-Stop Career Centers — an offspring of the old unemployment insurance office.
These Centers are taking on a new role by becoming a demand-driven system where job seekers can find job counseling, skill assessment, and placement — and employers have a real voice in tailoring worker training programs to their needs.
It is all part of the bottom line: jobs. As it is, America has the most productive workforce in the world. Now, we need to restore a growing economy with the jobs to match that productivity.
There is certainly much to challenge us in these difficult times — and the theme of this year's Opportunity Conference is so appropriate — "Navigating Economic Uncertainty." So let me just take a few minutes to share my thoughts about what I think our economy is facing and what we are doing about it.
To put is simply, the roots of the problem are the difficulties in the housing market and a crisis in the nation's financial system due to inappropriate lending practices. Credit markets froze — and when that happens, the entire country is harmed. And it isn't hurting just a few on Wall Street, but Main Street Americans like you and me.
Clearly, the problems we face today didn't happen overnight, but the crisis has demanded fast action from strong leaders. Thanks to quick action by Congress, the Administration is now equipped with a comprehensive set of tools to deal with the key challenges facing our nation's financial markets: confidence, capital, risk, and liquidity.
Some of these steps represent extraordinary action on the part of the federal government, but these steps were all necessary to solve an extraordinary crisis. But it is important to recognize that nothing that is being done today is permanent.
Let me stress that these are temporary steps. The government is not taking over the free market system. It is preserving it. Yes, our economy is volatile, but it is anchored by free market values and principles that make this country the most prosperous in the world. We are a resilient and resourceful nation, and all of us at the Department of Labor and in this Administration have faith in the ability and the ingenuity of the American people, an ability and ingenuity that is clearly represented by the people in this room.
As I said earlier, Hispanic, Asian and African Americans comprise the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the country, opening record numbers of small and medium-size employers, and generating billions in revenues every year. With a track record like this, I am confident that you will navigate today's economic uncertainty because it is the hard work and determination of people like you that drives our economy in good times and bad.
In so many ways, your future is America's future, and we have a tremendous stake in ensuring that America's major ethnic communities are vibrant, prosperous, and become even more integral to the U.S. workforce. Times are changing in Washington, but wherever Secretary Chao and I may be in years to come, I know that she shares my goal of ensuring that our economic engine is restored to health, reaches everyone, and leaves no one behind.
Before I conclude, I would like to borrow some remarks from Secretary Chao — with my own gloss — about successfully accessing new opportunities. Secretary Chao has often stated that there is no single path to success, but each of us needs to find our path on our own. Equally important, in my view, is to be flexible enough to recognize and take a detour when unexpected opportunities come your way. What works for your friend or neighbor may not work for you. What you thought was the right direction a year ago may need to change. Education, training, and — most importantly — heard work are important components to individual success. But we all know there are never any guarantees.
That is why we must never be afraid to fail. Often the greatest successes come from the lessons learned from our mistakes. You all know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb — but you may not know that it took him thousands of tries before he figured it out. He said "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." As I have heard the Secretary note, very few mistakes are truly fatal. And for many people, their biggest mistake is being too cautious in the hopes of avoiding a mistake. You should be willing to take calculated risks — and if you do fail, make sure you learn from that experience.
Finally, never forget to ask for help. There is much truth to the old cliché that the only stupid question is one not asked. Take advantage of all the resources at your disposal and work hard to expand your pool of resources. But remember also that assistance is never a one-way street. Be willing to help others, and they will be willing to help you. You never know where good help may come from — a supervisor, a coworker or, just as often, a subordinate. The Secretary often notes Ronald Reagan's old adage that "Personnel is policy." As a manager, if you surround yourself with good people, your instantly increase your chances of success. And your success will open up new opportunities for you and for those who follow you.
So let me conclude by thanking all of you for coming and for taking the time to invest in yourself, your communities, and your future. I hope that you enjoy this conference. It was created with you in mind. We want you to find it helpful. We want you to network, gain skills, and better access the government programs available to you.
I know that so many of you here are using your talents and ingenuity to build your own success, security and future. You are all working hard, each and every day to achieve your vision of the American Dream.
So this afternoon, cherish your heritage as you continue your efforts and be confident that despite our current troubles, there are abundant opportunities ahead. I am confident that by working together, there is no obstacle too great, no crisis too large that we cannot overcome it.
Thank you all again, and have a great conference!
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Archived Speech — Caution: Information may be out of date.
