Message to the Congress Transmitting Annual Manpower Report of the President.

To the Congress of the United States:

This is the tenth annual Manpower Report of the President and the third of my Administration. The information in this volume, as in its predecessors, will help to deepen the Nation's understanding of manpower problems and issues and to point the way toward achievement of our human resources development goals.

The second decade of an active manpower policy, which begins in March of this year, is dedicated to attaining full opportunity for all American workers.

Our tactics for pursuing this objective are twofold: First, to accomplish much needed and long overdue reform of the manpower programs set up under the Manpower Development and Training Act and subsequent legislation and thus increase their effectiveness in enhancing the employability of jobless workers; and, second, to move toward a broader national manpower policy which will be an important adjunct of economic policy in achieving our Nation's economic and social objectives.

My Administration has made substantial progress in improving the operation of manpower programs under existing legislative authorizations, as described in this report. Fundamental reform of these programs, however, requires new legislation. For this reason, in the recent Special Message to the Congress which forms the first part of this volume I again urged speedy enactment of a Manpower Revenue Sharing Act, to make possible coordinated and flexible manpower programs administered by local governments in accordance with local needs.

The need for a comprehensive national manpower policy which is sensitive to the manpower implications of government actions in many fields is also documented in this report. There is hardly any major aspect of government policy which does not significantly affect the utilization, size, and skills of the country's work force.

Yet during the 1960's, efforts to appraise the employment impact of new and changing policies and programs were fragmentary, at best leading to avoidable inefficiencies in program operations and unnecessarily severe adjustments for workers, industries, and local communities.

Both the efficiency of our economy and the well-being of the country's workers will be served by more systematic assessment of the manpower consequences of government policies and programs. Accordingly, I am instructing the Secretary of Labor to develop for my consideration recommendations with respect to the most effective mechanisms for achieving such an assessment and for assuring the findings receive appropriate attention in the government's decision making processes.

The upturn in employment late in 1971, in response to the New Economic Policy which I announced in August, is another subject discussed in this report. The outlook is now favorable for economic and employment expansion. However, as I said in my Economic Report in January, unemployment must be further reduced. This will be accomplished by the stimulus given to employment through our fiscal and monetary policies and by a number of special measures discussed in the present record, among them:

--The expansion in enrollments in federally assisted manpower programs to record figures, providing a substantial increase in opportunities for Negroes and other minorities;

--The new program of public service employment which serves two purposes simultaneously--opening transitional jobs for unemployed workers and filling unmet needs for essential public services;

--Better matching of workers and jobs through computerized Job Banks; and

--Special programs to aid the reemployment of veterans and persons displaced because of cutbacks in the defense and aerospace programs.

Teenage workers have by far the highest jobless rate of any group--more than four times the rate for adult workers in 1971. The remedial action underway and needed to meet their special problems is discussed in depth in this report. In particular, we propose a special, lower, youth minimum wage to help overcome employers' reluctance to hire inexperienced young workers.

A new approach to career education in the public schools is also being developed. This would give young people more realistic career preparation and help to build an easier, more effective school-to-work transition, paving the way toward a real solution to the problems of jobless youth.

The final focus of the report is on the professions. Scientists and engineers, teachers, doctors, and other professional and technical personnel represent only about one out of every seven workers, but they carry a responsibility for the country's economic and social well-being, its defense and position of world leadership, out of all proportion to their numbers.

We have two major objectives with respect to professional personnel. In the immediate future, we must promote full utilization of their talents and training, and we are moving strongly toward that goal through the special programs we have undertaken to aid the reemployment of the relatively small numbers of scientists and engineers now out of work or underemployed.

In the longer view, we must assure a supply of new entrants into the professions adequate to meet national needs. As the findings of this report indicate, this objective is in process of accomplishment in the major professional fields, including the health professions. With the increased Federal funds for medical and nursing education that I have recommended to implement the new 1971 health manpower legislation, rapid progress will be possible in achieving a better standard of health care for all Americans.

I am pleased to transmit herewith a report on manpower requirements, resources, utilization and training as required under the Manpower Development and Training Act.

RICHARD NIXON

THE WHITE HOUSE,

March 15, 1972.