WORCESTER - State Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta visited the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce on Thursday touting upbeat economic numbers - including just a 2.8% unemployment rate in Worcester and the state - and a technical training initiative modeled in part on Worcester Technical High School.

But she also warned of the two As - aging and automation - that will define the future of work.

Seventy percent of current jobs in food service and retail will no longer exist in 2030, Acosta said, citing a recent report, as an example of the changes to come in the economy. We have to get ready for this displacement.

Acosta was the keynote speaker at the Chambers Breakfast Club meeting held at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday.

Preliminary numbers (to be revised later this month) indicate that last year more than 45,500 jobs were added in Massachusetts, with the education and health services sectors accounting for more than 50% of those jobs.

Moreover, the unemployment rate in Worcester has decreased from 7% to 2.8% during the Baker Administration.

But while the economy as a whole is doing really well, we also know that were seeing a very tight labor market, Acosta said.

In the last quarter there were more than 200,000 job openings in Massachusetts, but only around 110,000 people looking for work, Acosta said.

For all of the employers who say they cant find people, thats one of the reasons they cant find people, Acosta said.

But the administration is aware of the problem.

Acosta cited two initiatives the administration is pushing to help employers find people.

The first focuses on the technical trades, with the Career Technical Initiative - a program that hopes to train 20,000 people in the next four years in trades and technical jobs.

The goal is to expand technical high schools into three-shift institutes. Enrolled students will be at the school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; then, from 2 to 5 p.m. the school and its resources will be open to other high school students in the area; and from 5 to 9 p.m. the school will be available for adult education.

It is a model that Worcester Tech already uses, and Gov. Charlie Baker visited the school two weeks ago to launch the program. The initiative leverages the $78 million that the Baker administration has invested in technical and vocational schools through Workforce Skills Grants, and Acosta compared the schedule to that of a high-tech factory.

If you are buying capital for your factory, you wouldnt close your factory at 2 oclock; you would keep it going, Acosta said. Thats the idea here, making sure that were using those technical schools to the maximum.

A second initiative is an apprentice program focusing on technology - particularly web developers, software developers and cybersecurity experts - and health care workers.

The program consists of five months of classroom training followed by a yearlong apprenticeship with partners such as Wayfair, Harvard University, Liberty Mutual, and Eversource.

When you say to me, I have no people, I want to supply those folks, Acosta said.

And all of these training opportunities will be important, as the future of work looks turbulent with the two As - an aging and retiring workforce and automation of many jobs.

To help navigate this uncertainty, Acosta encouraged employers to tailor job descriptions to emphasize skills - rather than degrees - required. In addition to attracting a wider applicant pool, this could also attract more diverse candidates, Acosta said.

And as to how the state will handle this economic uncertainty, Acosta expressed measured optimism.

Im optimistic but realistic, Acosta said.

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Aging and automation shaping workforce, labor secretary tells Worcester business group - Worcester Telegram