Employers, and the American economy at large, continue to grapple with challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This time of economic reckoning has upended talent management as we know it, and in doing so has created a monumental opportunity for positive change.

We know that real change is made possible when powerful players like big business come together to tackle the challenges facing workers. And, we’re inspired when we see the Business Roundtable back up their stakeholder capitalism with new meaningful action.

In a press release published today, the Business Roundtable announced an emerging multiyear effort to reform companies’ hiring and talent management practices to emphasize the value of skills, rather than just degrees, and to improve equity, diversity, and workplace culture.

Many of JFF’s corporate partners, including Recover Stronger coalition partners Walmart and Workday, are among the more than 80 companies that are working as members of Business Roundtable to prioritize skills-based talent practices and worker mobility as a strategy for eliminating workforce inequities, such as unintentional bias that may create barriers to hiring and advancement.