This week President Biden is expected to announce plans for a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure initiative. The proposal is expected to be split into two parts – an initial bill that would fund traditional transportation projects; and a second bill addressing broader domestic social priorities, such as education and childcare.

Housing belongs in the first package for three important reasons: it creates good jobs; may address racial inequities, and is significantly more likely to pass in the Senate.

Housing construction has led the U.S. out of every major recession since 1960 with only one exception: the Great Recession of 2008-10, which was caused by a failure of housing-related financial markets. Home building helped lead the U.S. out of the recessions of 2001, 1990, 1981, 1973, 1969 and 1960.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, rents and homeownership were growing increasingly unaffordable. The residential construction industry was already suffering a shortage of 200,000 skilled trades workers. The pandemic only exacerbated these trends, as the persistence of the worker shortage, building supply costs, limited housing inventory, and ineffective regulations help drive prices even higher.

We can do better. First, we must train unemployed and displaced workers, put people back to work and build housing that is within reach for millions more Americans. Education and training are the great equalizers. Closing the skills gap in the construction trades will put more people to work, which will contribute greatly to a more robust economic recovery. That is why corporate leaders increasingly support workforce development programs like the Home Builders Institute, which every year trains and places thousands of transitioning military personnel, high school students and at-risk youths.