OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – A state representative who played a key role in creating the Oklahoma Workforce Commission is now part of the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development.
House of Representatives Speaker Charles McCall appointed Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, to the Workforce and Economic Development Council.
The Council facilitates efforts to improve exposure to high-demand career opportunities throughout the state, and works with industry leaders to ensure education and training opportunities provide Oklahomans skills that will fulfill workforce needs.
“Right now, Oklahoma is in a prime position to push for expanded workforce opportunities in rural, suburban and urban areas of our state,” Hill said. “I’ve been very proud to work on workforce and economic development policy in my time with the House, and I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders from across Oklahoma and the United States to consider how we can provide better opportunities for all. I appreciate the trust Speaker McCall has placed in me by appointing me to this position.”
Hill co-wrote Senate Bill 621, which established the Oklahoma Workforce Commission when it was signed into law in June 2023.
The Workforce Commission works to coordinate the state’s workforce efforts. Their objective is to streamline workforce processes into a more efficient and effective system that will grow the economy and produce greater numbers of skilled workers.
SB 621 was born from research which revealed a workforce deficiency in Oklahoma. A State Chamber and Business Roundtable joint survey found that 60 percent of Oklahoma’s business community said workforce shortages were the number one threat to business growth and expansion. Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber of Oklahoma, and Ben Lepak, executive director of the State Chamber Research Foundation, provided Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislators research data which showed that Oklahoma was 36,000 workers deficient in filling available jobs.
It was determined that a new, focused workforce management system was needed to grow the state’s workforce and fill the thousands upon thousands of available jobs.
The Commission is composed of nine members, each a representative from Oklahoma’s private business sector. It has been meeting since January, gathering information from state officials and leaders across the state’s industrial sectors. The Commission will rely on that information when creating workforce development strategies and administer and oversee funding allocated by the legislature for workforce development initiatives. The commission can contract with outside parties to achieve its goals.
“We’ve decided as a state we want better, not just for ourselves, but for our future, for our posterity, for our kids. And it’s moments like this when we listen to job creators, when we hear you loud and clear,” Hill said when SB 621 was signed into law. “We listen and we respond that we believe that Oklahoma has everything that we need, that this nation needs to thrive, that we are leading in the nation now in so many amazing areas, whether that’s restorative workforce or in this area of creating this Workforce Commission.”
