Vargas files bill requiring annual five‑year labor‑market report in Massachusetts

Representative Andres X. Vargas filed House Bill No. 2184 on Jan. 17, 2025, proposing that the secretary of labor and workforce development, in collaboration with the secretaries of education and economic development, produce an annual report on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ job market and projected labor needs for the ensuing five years to guide policy and investment decisions. The bill was filed in the House and referred to the committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

The measure would require the secretary of labor and workforce development to publish the report annually by Dec. 31, make it available to the public and submit it to the governor, relevant state agencies and the House and Senate committees on Ways and Means. The bill text says the report must include policy and investment recommendations to address anticipated workforce gaps, a progress report on career pathway programs in high schools, higher education and workforce training, and an analysis of skills required for jobs in key industries, including those enumerated in lines 7002–8070 of section 2 of chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024.

Under the proposed Section 27 to Chapter 23 of the General Laws, the secretary of labor and workforce development would lead preparation of the report “in collaboration with the secretary of education and the secretary [of] economic development.” Required contents listed in the draft include: (i) recommendations on policies and investments to ensure the state has the necessary workforce and identification of sectors poised for growth and gaps in filling employment needs; (ii) a progress report on career pathway programs in secondary, postsecondary and targeted industry training programs; and (iii) an analysis of data on skills required for jobs in key industries, including those identified in the cited 2024 act.

The bill sets a recurring public‑reporting deadline — Dec. 31 each year — and directs that the report be used to guide decision‑making by state agencies on policy and funding. The text does not specify dedicated funding for producing the report or detail data sources beyond the reference to the 2024 act’s enumerated industries; those items would be subject to further legislative or administrative action if the bill advances.

The filing places the proposal before the committee on Labor and Workforce Development; the Legislature must formally consider, amend and vote on the bill before it could become law. As filed, the measure establishes reporting requirements and submission deadlines but does not itself create new programs or appropriations.