America Works Initiative
Helping your company and our country solve our workforce challenges.
America is facing a worker shortage crisis: There are too many open jobs without people to fill them. The result: Too many businesses can’t grow, compete, and thrive. And too many workers can't realize their American dreams.
Through the America Works Initiative, we’re helping employers across the country develop and discover talent to fill open jobs and grow our economy.
Explore related topics
Understanding America's Labor Shortage
Understanding the problem
Discover the latest data on job openings, unemployment, labor force participation, quit rates, and more, for a quick understanding of the current state of the workforce—paired with in-depth analysis of the trends.
Become a member
U.S. Chamber members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.
Learn more about how your business can become a member.
Understanding the Problem
Report
America’s woefully inadequate immigration system is directly contributing to the worker shortage crisis and hindering American business operations.
Join the #AmericaWorks Conversation
Make your voice heard. Ask Congress to take action to close the skills gap, grow our country’s workforce, and keep America’s economy strong.
Resources and Guides
U.S. Chamber Foundation Programs to Help Your Company
- Develop your talent pipelineThe U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) helps employers partner with educators and economic development leaders to make sure future workers are learning the right skills to meet employer needs.Read More
- Hire from the military communityThe U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) program connects companies with military community talent through world-class hiring events and fellowship programs.Read More
- Use data to find the perfect matchJoin the more than 500 organizations using the latest tech and data to better match people with the right jobs through the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Jobs and Employment Data Exchange (JEDx) and T3 Innovation Network.Read More
- Invest differently in upskilling and trainingTake a new approach to paying for education and skills training to create more opportunity, more inclusion, and more jobs with the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Talent Finance initiative.Read More
Case Studies
- Developing Essential Nursing Talent in PhoenixUsing the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s TPM strategy, the Hospital Workforce Collaborative in Arizona teamed up with local community colleges to train needed specialty nurses.Read More
- Workforce Readiness and Reentry Program at BlackburnA unique program is creating pathways to employment for formerly incarcerated individuals in the equine industry in Kentucky using the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s TPM strategy.Read More
- An Industry-Leading Training Model in AutomotiveUsing the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s TPM strategy, a Toyota training program is meeting industry demand for automotive technicians.Read More
America Works Policy Priorities
Feature story
Business Roundtable, SHRM, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are joining forces to help American businesses find and hire talented workers based on their skills, not just their degrees, to boost the economy and create more job opportunities.
We are calling on elected officials at the federal and state level to take immediate action to help address this national economic crisis.
Get in Touch
The U.S. Chamber is here to help. Get in touch today to learn more about our workforce programs.
Latest Content
The pandemic has had a significant impact on both business travel and leisure travel. Here’s what businesses need to know about travel beyond COVID-19.
The pandemic altered how and where people work. Here’s how businesses can adapt their workforce development and management strategies to deal with the changes.
Manufacturing and healthcare businesses find solutions in Chamber’s innovative talent pipeline programs.
This report explores the benefits to employers that hire formerly incarcerated individuals, identifies barriers to entry for those with criminal convictions, highlights programs and organizations working to break down these barriers, and discusses developments concerning state and federal legislation that supports second and fair chance hiring.
“We have to get serious about removing barriers to filling these open jobs.” The following statement can be attributed to the Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on the latest job openings report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
A new US Chamber study shows that most small businesses are struggling to find workers with the right combination of skills and experience.
As America continues to reopen, small business optimism about hiring prospects for their business are muted, as an equal number say they are more optimistic or more pessimistic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the latest MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey.
As America continues to reopen, small business optimism around hiring prospects are muted, as an equal number say they are either more optimistic or more pessimistic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a poll taken June 16 – 23, 2021 and released today by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife.
The biggest issue facing the economy this summer is a shortage of workers going back to open jobs.
In seaside Rehoboth, it's a devastating and all-too-common narrative for tourism-dependent employers amid a national workforce crisis.
