City committee adopts 5-year workforce strategic plan aiming to connect 50,000 Angelenos to living-wage jobs

The Los Angeles City Economic Development and Jobs Committee voted to approve the Workforce Development Board's five‑year strategic plan and instructed the mayor's office to report on metrics and benchmarks on a semiannual basis.

The plan sets a “North Star” goal to connect 50,000 Angelenos to high‑quality, living‑wage jobs, registered apprenticeships, paid work experiences and training by 2030 and outlines four cornerstones for implementation: sector coalitions, a regional collaborative oversight committee, and a policy and data committee to improve accountability and data‑driven decisions.

Carolyn Hull, general manager of the city's Economic and Workforce Development Department, summarized the use of LAEDC research during the planning process and introduced findings showing sector and demographic challenges that informed the strategy. “There’s an intricate dance between people, industry, and jobs in the dynamic tapestry of the Los Angeles region that has informed the conclusions and the recommendations of the 5 year strategic plan,” Hull said.

Shannon Sedgwick, senior director of the Institute for Applied Economics at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, told committee members that the analysis identified target industries—construction, transportation, motion picture and sound recording, health care services and social assistance, performing arts and spectator sports, biomedical manufacturing, and the green/blue economy—because they offer middle‑skill jobs and growth potential. “LA County continues to be an economic powerhouse,” Sedgwick said.

Tanya Ortuno, director of workforce development in the mayor’s office, and Hannah Lee, executive director of the Workforce Development Board, described the board’s nine‑month stakeholder engagement process, which included interviews, focus groups and public meetings with employers, community‑based organizations and training providers. Ortuno said the plan emphasizes bringing employers into “sector coalitions” to align training with real employer demand and to expand registered apprenticeships in nontraditional fields.

Committee discussion highlighted the plan’s emphasis on using regional partnerships to stretch limited resources should federal funding decline. Committee members pressed for clarity on how the plan will link residents—especially youth and people in lower‑wage jobs—to sectors such as bioscience and the green economy that are less familiar to some communities. Plan leaders said sector coalitions, a public outreach and business‑training “boot camp,” and stronger WorkSource center coordination will be used to bridge that gap.

The committee approved the Workforce Development Board recommendations and added instructions that the Economic and Workforce Development Department report to the committee on a semiannual basis with KPIs, metrics and benchmarks to track progress. The vote was recorded as: Councilman Curran Price, aye; Councilmember Hugo Soto‑Martinez, yes; Councilmember Nazarian, absent; Councilmember Hurtado, absent; Councilwoman Tracy Park, yes. The item was approved as amended.