06/14/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/14/2021 12:00
(Washington, DC) - Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by community members and business leaders to highlight her robust investments in bringing jobs and business back to DC. The Mayor's Fiscal Year 2022 Fair Shot Budget proposal uses the significant federal aid received through the American Rescue Plan to invest more than $250 million in the coming fiscal year, and more than $630 million through Fiscal Year 2025, in business attraction and retention, earn and learn workforce programs, skills training and career navigation programs, and financial support and empowerment for workers and job-seekers. By ensuring Washington, DC is competitive in attracting new high-growth companies, these investments will create jobs, support the city's strong economic recovery, and restore the vibrancy of downtown.
'One of the best ways we can help our residents, workers, and businesses recover is by bringing jobs back to DC,' said Mayor Bowser. 'When we bring business and jobs back to DC, that is really about bringing opportunity to our residents. We're not just investing in jobs, we're investing in the people who we want to fill those jobs and the residents whose lives - and livelihoods - were disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.'
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated economic inequities in the District, with Black and Brown workers and residents without college degrees experiencing disproportionally high rates of unemployment and job loss. Additionally, while there was a 1.3% decrease in men's workforce participation during the pandemic, there was a 5.4% decrease in women's workforce participation. To address these disparities and make DC's prosperity more inclusive, the Mayor's workforce investments are focused on ensuring DC residents are trained and hired for high-demand, high-wage DC jobs.
Investments in the Mayor's #FairShot FY22 budget proposal include:
'Mayor Bowser's investments in the Fair Shot Budget will create jobs for DC residents and give more Washingtonians a fair shot,' said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio. 'We have always seen our comeback in three phases: relief, recovery and growth. As we begin our recovery, job creation needs our attention and our investment, and we call upon the Council to support these initiatives to support our comeback.'
'Mayor Bowser's budget reimagines how the DOES and the District as a whole can operate,' said Department of Employment Services Director Unique Morris-Hughes. 'The Mayor knows that investing in reskilling, education, and infrastructure has long lasting, transformative potential. These priorities can provide a path to the middle class for District residents across all 8 wards.'
The budget builds on the Mayor's efforts throughout the pandemic to prioritize supports for residents and businesses hardest hit by the pandemic. Already, DC has awarded more than $155 million in relief funding to local businesses. The District's continued efforts to meet the existing and future COVID-19-related needs of our community include managing and disbursing:
'We are grateful to Mayor Bowser and Deputy Mayor Falcicchio for their leadership in helping our city recover from the impact of this pandemic,' said Leona Agouridis, Executive Director of the Golden Triangle BID. 'The FY 2022 budget proposal illustrates a strong commitment to bringing back jobs to DC residents while re-establishing a thriving central business district in our Golden Triangle community and across our nation's capital.'
To learn more about Mayor Bowser's Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal, visit budget.dc.gov.