Cowboy Up

“This isn’t Indiana’s first rodeo!” Molly Martin, the director of New America Indianapolis, said as she welcomed a gathering of Indianapolis social sector leaders, researchers, policymakers, philanthropists, and workforce consultants, to launch ShiftLabs Indianapolis, co-sponsored by New America and The Rockefeller Foundation. ShiftLabs is an action-oriented conversation focused on shaping Indianapolis’ plans to navigate the incoming wave of automation and artificial intelligence and the impact on jobs. New research from New America and Burning Glass estimates that more than one in three of Indianapolis’ current jobs are likely to be changed by automation- the vast majority of those in low-skill, low-wage occupations currently dominated by women. But, as Molly Martin pointed out, Indiana has been here before. The agricultural, automotive, and manufacturing industries that have been the foundation of Indiana’s economy have gone through massive structural changes over the last 150 years and, yet, Indiana has survived.  

Approximately 30% of Indianapolis residents have no education beyond a high school diploma. More than 10% of Indianapolis residents lack even a high school degree. Every job moving forward will require some form of post-secondary learning- for the first time in Indiana’s experience, low-skill jobs are unlikely to be available for its citizens. As a net out-migration state, Indiana has trouble attracting new talent to the state to meet employer demand.

ShiftLabs participants engaged in frank conversations about the structural factors that limit Indiana’s ability to be prepared for this level of change, including education, the rural power imbalance in the state legislature, the entrenched local power networks, Indiana’s over-reliance on faith-based programs to fill the gaps in the social sector, a lack of public transit infrastructure, and Indiana citizens’ deep-seated aversion to taxation.

As the law currently stands, education is only compulsory for students between the ages of 7 and 16. Indiana ranks second to last in the nation in funding for pre-K access for four year-olds. Just 2% of Hoosier 4 year-olds are served by state funding. And while On My Way programs have been expanded to 20 of Indiana’s 92 counties, too many children in Indiana are lacking in critical foundational skills by the time they get to school. Indiana ranks 11th in the country in income inequality. Without expanded funding for early childhood programs, the inequality gap in Indiana is likely to only increase.

Unreliable childcare is also a major contributor to employee absenteeism, which is one of the major complaints employers have about the quality of the available talent in Indianapolis.

This is why ShiftLabs participants, after engaging in a structured exercise to help imagine both worst and best-case futures, decided that one of the best investments would be supporting a statewide childcare scholarship.

There was general acknowledgement that this will be an uphill battle to pass, but the general consensus within the group was that improving access to quality childcare was among the most effective tools in helping Indianapolis residents manage the demands of the shifting economy.

The group will continue to exchange ideas and come together with other stakeholders to move specific policy proposals and technology pilots forward. ShiftLabs is committed to ensuring that all Indianapolis citizens have access to opportunities that allow them agency over their future.  

Ms. Williams’ is the first in a series of blogs by Indy ShiftLabs participants, each focusing on different ideas and interventions emerging from groups of local stakeholders.

Contact Molly Martin for more information about how you can join the Indy ShiftLabs conversation. Follow online at @mollygmartin @newamerica. #shiftlabs