Among the many unexpected lessons of 2020 was a recognition of the importance of essential workers. We saw how much we rely on the people who work in our food systems, who care for our children and our loved ones, who deliver packages, and who keep our public spaces clean. We learned to say thank you to so many of them, and in this season of thanks, we reflect on how we can do more than say thank you by improving the quality of essential jobs. As the year drew to a close, we discussed the important role of essential workers in our economy and society and a variety of approaches for improving essential work

The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous stress on small businesses and their workers, as closures and new public safety measures demanded that business owners shift operations and take creative steps to keep employees and customers safe. Small business owners became increasingly aware that the wellbeing of their employees is essential for business survival – and they forged new partnerships and took new approaches to support their workers.

Watch this discussion, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, to learn about strategies that small business owners and workforce organizations took to strengthen job quality for frontline workers in the wake of COVID-19. In this session, we hear from two restaurant owners in Baltimore, along with a workforce professional who helped them prioritize job quality through the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic, in an allegedly strong economy, workers at the bottom end of the opportunity scale were struggling to support themselves and their families. No single metric is more striking in this respect than the divisions in wealth between men and women, and between white households and households of color. White households have roughly 10 times the wealth of Black households. Households headed by single women have less than 40% of the wealth of those headed by single men. Broadening opportunities to participate in the ownership of business assets can help address this wealth divide and offer working people the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the success of our economy.

This discussion includes perspectives from research, business, policy, and worker-owners.

Across the nation, workforce development professionals made efforts to help workers connect to jobs and provide for their families amidst concerns about workplace health and safety during the pandemic. Due to occupational segregation and other factors rooted in structural racism, Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color were more likely to endure severe health consequences from the virus and to be concentrated in frontline jobs with high levels of exposure. In this webinar, panelists share about the crucial role workforce development professionals can play in advancing workplace health and safety, including through direct engagement with employers and partnerships with local advocacy organizations. Panelists also discuss how these strategies can be applied to other job quality areas and ways public and philanthropic funders can support this critical work.

Questions about the future of work shifted during the pandemic, prompting overdue discussions about workplace health and safety, the unemployment system, health insurance, and fair wages and benefits. What policies can support a thriving future of work? What roles do we want private business to play? And what strategies will build a future of work that addresses long standing inequities and inequalities and provides opportunities for all to thrive? California’s Future of Work Commission and Jobs and Recovery Task Force had been working on these questions since before the pandemic and had begun implementing innovative policies to address the critical challenges facing working people in today’s economy and tomorrow’s.

This report compiles insights from workforce professionals about the types of questions they ask employers. 210 workforce professionals in Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia responded to a survey about the kinds of conversations they have with business representatives on topics related to workplace practices, environment, and equity and inclusion in the workplace.

In this brief, we highlight key ideas for how the workforce development system can promote workplace health and safety during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This publication provides a guide to re-opening businesses in the restaurant sector and sets out a long-term vision for the restaurant industry after the shock of COVID-19. Based on input from restaurant owners across the country, the roadmap identifies ways restaurateurs can reimagine how they operate as practical, sustainable, and ethical businesses, including by reforming tipping and restaurant minimum wages. The business examples and innovative ideas have relevance for restaurant owners who are navigating the crisis and for workers and their advocates with a stake in the sector’s trajectory after COVID-19.

This toolkit is designed to equip organizations and businesses with strategies to support employee mental health during the coronavirus pandemic but is relevant as a resource on supporting employee mental health across settings. The guide can be used as an informational document or as a presentation to leaders and managers, including human resources teams and organizational leaders. Included are recommendations to build a culture of empathy and support, links to external resources, and examples of company practices. Individuals supporting businesses or workers may also find the toolkit useful to share with employers to encourage practices that support employee mental health.

In this statement on the economic response to coronavirus, ICA group describes reasons why employee ownership, which helps stabilize workers, businesses and communities, is an important business model to consider during the COVID-19 response. It especially focuses on employee ownership as a pathway to supporting low income workers of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The document identifies policy responses to help expand employee ownership models and may be particularly useful for employers, advocates, and economic development organizations.