By Scott Pulsipher & Michael B. Horn

The economic impact of the pandemic — including job losses — is going to get worse before it gets better.

The short-term fixes under discussion, such as boosting unemployment insurance or shoring up businesses’ balance sheets again, are just that — short term. They won’t fix what ails the American worker because the reality is that many of the jobs being eliminated won’t ever return.

What’s needed is a deeper investment in the workforce to upskill millions of Americans for the jobs that will be in demand. Covid-19 has accelerated automation and stands to further disproportionately impact the most vulnerable Americans unless we can equip them with the skills to navigate a technology-intensive economy.