Secretary of Labor Walsh to speak at 2023 World Economic Forum, highlight empowering workers, responding to current labor dynamics

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Europe next week to meet with government and business leaders at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos, visit one of Europe’s foremost job training centers in Zurich, and learn more about apprenticeship programs in Austria.

Secretary Walsh will use the trip to strengthen bilateral partnerships in both countries, and promote labor rights and labor-management partnerships, job quality and essential protections across global supply chains.

While in Davos, the Secretary will participate in a panel discussion, “Attracting Talent” on Jan. 17 that will discuss the pandemic’s impact on labor markets. Secretary Walsh will highlight the need for organizations to be innovative in their approach to attracting and retaining talented workers, including the importance of investing in job quality.

On Jan. 18, a second panel, “The Future of Jobs” will offer the Secretary and other participants an opportunity to discuss how anticipated industry changes – including the transition to clean energy – may affect labor markets, the importance of collective bargaining and the ways employers can respond effectively. 

“To be successful for the long-term, economic systems must revolve around working people,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “The Biden-Harris administration is creating good-paying jobs with a sharp focus on equity for all workers and ensuring their right to join a union. This approach aligns with its vision for a national economy built from the bottom up and the middle out.”

“Regardless of national boundaries, ensuring that every worker has an equal opportunity to succeed is the only way to build a strong, skilled workforce that meets the needs of every industry. This trip offers an excellent opportunity to better understand how other countries and companies forge successful labor-management partnerships to develop and train tomorrow’s workforce,” the Secretary added.  

Livestreams of “Attracting Talent” and “The Future of Jobs” are available.

Leaving the World Economic Forum, Secretary Walsh will then travel to Zurich to tour Lernzentrum Industrielle Berufslehren Schweiz – the country’s foremost vocational training center for machinery, electronics and metal industry – and meet with young apprentices in the commercial and technical fields. He will also learn more about the center’s apprentice training methods.  

Later in the week, Secretary Walsh will head to Austria and meet with government and business leaders to discuss the value and benefits of apprenticeship programs and their best practices. He will also showcase the U.S. and Austria’s bilateral partnership. During both visits, Secretary Walsh will highlight the department’s recent memorandum of understanding on vocational and professional education, training, and apprenticeships with Switzerland and Austria. He will discuss how the U.S. can advance apprenticeship partnerships in both countries.

Learn more about the department’s work to improve job quality.