The Voices from the Frontline initiative produced this brief to elevate the conversation around job quality in the workforce development field and what a focus on job quality for frontline workforce professionals could look like in practice. In addition to quantitative measures such as wages, the authors note that feeling a sense of purpose and ownership over one’s work can be beneficial for workforce professionals and the workers they serve. This publication has applications for workforce development organizations as they work to assess and improve their own internal job quality metrics.

This fact sheet displays the disproportionate effect technological change may have on Black workers and presents potential benefits that effective training programs could have on Black communities. This resource is useful for practitioners seeking to design training programs that center equity.

This brief describes a strategy that helps connect young adults to “now jobs” that address their immediate income needs while continuing to prepare them for long-term career opportunities.

This policy brief is designed to inform the development of paid family and medical leave policies that can reduce inequalities for workers. It provides guidance on specific elements of paid leave policies such as ideal duration, eligibility requirements, and outreach strategies. While the primary audience for this tool is policymakers, it could also be useful for businesses who are crafting or re-shaping their paid leave policies or for providers advising businesses and policymakers.

This brief outlines some key metrics to consider when designing paid family and medical leave programs. These insights are drawn from the National partnership for Women and Families’ research, consultations with organizations that work with low wage workers, and experiences providing technical assistance to advocates and policymakers. The brief focuses on seven main aspects: setting the benefit amount and duration, eligibility requirements to access paid leave, definitions of “employee” and “employer”, definition of “family member”, waiting period before accessing paid leave, job and benefits protection while receiving family and medical leave insurance benefits, and public education and outreach. This resource can be particularly helpful for policymakers, advocates, researchers, and practitioners.

This brief provides an overview of the role of impact investing for employee ownership, including the role of community development financial institutions (CDFIs). It shows how employee ownership transitions advance environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles and should therefore be supported by impact investors. Case examples model the effectiveness of CDFIs in financing employee ownership.

The Future of Work for Low-Income Workers and Families is a policy brief aimed at state policy advocates and policymakers seeking to help low-income workers and their families secure healthy economic livelihoods as the nature of work evolves in the United States. Published by the Working Poor Families Project in December 2015, the brief was written by Vickie Choitz and Maureen Conway. This brief reviews the major forces shaping the future of work, including changes in labor and employment practices, business models, access to income and benefits, worker rights and voice, education and training, and technology. Across these areas, we are seeing disruptive change in our economy and society resulting in increasing risk and challenges for low-income workers, in particular.

This guide highlights existing research on the link between the racial wealth divide and business ownership. Because lower levels of business and financial assets held by Black and Latino households is a key factor perpetuating the racial wealth divide, business ownership may be an important means to narrow the gap. This guide may be useful for economic development organizations, investors, lenders, and other practitioners seeking to understand and respond to the racial wealth divide.

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 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.