Joshua Arce

Joshua Arce has served as the Director of Workforce Development for the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) since his appointment by Mayor London Breed in 2018, leading a team of over 60 workforce professionals and overseeing $40 million in programs that support local job seekers and employers.

In this role, Arce also manages the City’s workforce development board, Workforce Investment San Francisco, a collaborative of business, labor, education, and community development leaders that helps implement the City's workforce and economic development strategies and advance San Francisco's economic recovery plan.

As the City’s workforce director, Arce chairs the Committee on City Workforce Alignment, a legislated body that brings together 17 city departments and public representatives to coordinate over $145 million in annual investments that serve over 30,000 residents through job readiness, training, and placement with construction, healthcare, tech, hospitality, and local small business employers.

Prior to his appointment, Arce led the office’s CityBuild division, a nationally recognized construction training program that has placed nearly 2,000 graduates into union construction apprenticeship. Arce began his career as a civil rights attorney and community liaison for the Northern California Laborers, serving as Board Chair of Mission Housing Development Corporation, one of the City’s oldest and largest affordable housing nonprofits.