This report details the dynamics and challenges of the residential construction industry and provides a profile of the Workers Defense Project, a non-profit and membership-based organization based in Austin, Texas that seeks to provide low-wage workers, particularly those in the construction industry, with resources to improve their working and living conditions

This report provides a guide to an employee’s legal rights at work as well as a list of advocacy organizations that can assist in understanding and enforcing these rights in the workplace. This is a useful resource for worker advocates and other practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of the statutes that address protected identities, wage theft, unemployment benefits, and more.

Domestic workers—those that are employed in our homes to care for children, elderly and the disabled as well as perform a variety of other duties, such as cooking and cleaning—are critical to our economy, our society and our families’ well-being. Yet many domestic workers are paid little, receive no employee benefits, and may work in an environment with other challenges that can affect their health and safety.

At this event, panelists from academia, advocacy, organizing and philanthropy discuss the experiences of domestic workers and ideas and policies for improving their work. This event is the sixth discussion in a series titled, Reinventing Low Wage Work: Ideas That Can Work for Employees, Employers and the Economy, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program.

This is the fourth conversation in a roundtable series in 2012 titled “Reinventing Low Wage Work: Ideas That Can Work for Employees, Employers and the Economy.” Low wage jobs are a growing part of the U.S. economy, and the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative is excited to continue this conversation about the nature of low wage work, the challenges it presents to workers, businesses and the economy, and the opportunities we have for addressing these challenges at the Aspen Institute at a time when jobs and the economy are such critical topics for our country.

This report illustrates the state of low-wage work in the retail industry and provides a profile of the Retail Action Project, an organization striving to improve job quality in retail.

This resource provides an overview of retail work in the United States including information about the demographics of workers in the industry, the size of the workforce, wages and benefits, and working conditions.

This resource provides an overview of the restaurant workforce in the United States including information about the demographics of workers in the industry, the size of the workforce, wages and benefits, and working conditions.

This resource provides an overview of residential construction work in the United States including information about the demographics of workers in the industry, the size of the workforce, wages and benefits, and working conditions.

This resource provides an overview of the direct-care workforce in the United States including information about the demographics of workers in the industry, the size of the workforce, wages and benefits, and working conditions.

This publication examines the sectoral development field, explaining how it differs from other workforce development approaches, how it has grown over time, what it has achieved, and how it can be used to strengthen regional economies and business competitiveness. Content was drawn from interviews with workforce program leaders, program visits and survey responses from more than 225 workforce organizations. Included are brief case studies on dozens of innovative initiatives that illustrate key aspects of the sector strategy. The publication is geared not only to workforce professionals, but also to policy makers and funders who design and support programs, and/or develop regulations and guidelines related to these approaches. Those seeking an in-depth, up-to-date look at the sectoral employment development field will find much of value in this publication.