Following the Labor Day holiday, President Obama plans to give a major policy address on how to increase job opportunities in the United States as the economy continues to struggle and unemployment remains high. Early reports indicate that the president will include a mix of proposals, including tax cuts for businesses that hire new workers, training opportunities to produce more engineers, investments in infrastructure programs, mortgage programs to assist the housing market, tax and wage policy reforms and more. Given deep political polarization and a still-fragile economy, what programs can succeed, and where can policymakers find the resources they need to fund such initiatives?
On August 31, Brookings hosted a discussion previewing the president's speech, and examining programs that could help to spur the economy and create jobs in the current political and economic environment. The panel discussion included experts on the economy, employment and tax policy.
After the program, the panelists took audience questions.