The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity.

We collaborate with national and local leaders across the United States – nonprofit leaders, policymakers, labor leaders, business leaders, educators, academics, and more – and we actively seek input and ideas from individuals and communities affected by proposed approaches to address economic opportunity challenges. Through our leadership and fellowship programs; applied research and evaluation; data and analysis; and dialogue with diverse stakeholders, we work at both local and national levels to build understanding and galvanize action to address the challenge of economic opportunity in America.

Join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular updates on our work.

Photo of a gavel with a hard hat, safety googles, and work gloves in the background.
Blog Posts

Celebrating and Reimagining Worker Rights this Labor Day

Every worker deserves a quality job. Let’s build a better future of work — with greater freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for all.

Photo of a gavel with a hard hat, safety googles, and work gloves in the background.
Blog Posts

Celebrating And Reimagining Worker Rights This Labor Day

Every worker deserves a quality job. Let’s build a better future of work — with greater freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for all.

Organizing and Coalition Building for Structural Change
Blog Posts Longform

Organizing and Coalition Building for Structural Change

LAANE, led by Job Quality Fellow Roxana Tynan, is fighting to build an economy rooted in good jobs, thriving communities, and a healthy environment.

Organizing Unemployed and Underemployed Workers
Blog Posts Longform

Organizing Unemployed and Underemployed Workers

UWU, led by Job Quality Fellow Neidi Dominguez, engages unemployed/underemployed workers, a population that has not been mobilized at scale since the 1930s.

Social media image for the press release, “Aspen Institute and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announce Partnership to Strengthen Job Quality for Workers and Businesses — August 30, 2022.” The image includes a photo of a group of construction workers — two of whom are wearing hard hats and reflector vests — smiling and shaking hands.
Blog Posts

Aspen Institute and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Announce Partnership to Strengthen Job Quality for Workers and Businesses

A job quality partnership between the Aspen Institute and U.S. Chamber Foundation will help businesses support their talent and retention goals.

Social media image for the blog post, “What’s Next for Upskill America?” The image includes the title, the Aspen Institute logo, and a photo of the author, Haley Glover.
Blog Posts

What’s Next for Upskill America?

Haley Glover reflects on her first month as director of UpSkill America — connecting with partners, engaging with collaborators, and thinking critically about what comes next.

Improving Restaurant Workers’ Lives by Building Worker Power
Blog Posts Longform

Improving Restaurant Workers’ Lives by Building Worker Power

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United takes a three-prong approach to job quality: workplace justice, high-road practices, and raising standards.

Helping Employers Understand the Inequities in Their Own Talent Systems
Blog Posts Longform

Helping Employers Understand the Inequities in Their Own Talent Systems

Talent Rewire connects systems change with shifting mindsets, helping employers see how raising the floor can meet their bottom line.

Promoting Equity and Living-Wage Jobs To Revitalize Newark
Blog Posts Longform

Promoting Equity and Living-Wage Jobs To Revitalize Newark

The Newark Alliance marries economic and workforce development, connecting residents and employers to build a thriving community.

Partnering with California State To Respond to Crises
Blog Posts Longform

Partnering with California State To Respond to Crises

The San Diego Workforce Partnership centers job quality, inclusive business growth, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in its work.

Do MBA programs care about workers?
Blog Posts

Do MBA programs care about workers?

Inspired by Roundtable chair Roy Bahat, a recent graduate of Stanford’s GSB conducted a survey of his fellow classmates – and the results illuminate one reason why business leaders of today are ill equipped to respond constructively to worker organizing. Read full post on LinkedIn by Lucas Levine.

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, June 2022
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Newsletter, June 2022

Confronting inequity, restoring the promise of work, and broadening opportunities are essential to building a more free, just, and equitable world.

About the Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings
Publications

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

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Podcasts Videos

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

This conversation is part of our Opportunity in America series, where we take a look at the economy, what’s working, what’s broken, and really how we fix it to make sure that everyone can succeed in today’s economy.

Resource Roundup: Wages and Affordability
Blog Posts
Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis
Publications

Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes
Podcasts Videos

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes

Economic security shouldn’t be a lottery. Yet for millions of working families, stagnant wages and precarious jobs collide with the daily grind of managing money on shaky ground — leaving stability feeling less like a plan and more like a gamble. Fixing that takes more than one lever. It takes structural reform and the tools people need to take control of their financial lives, working together.

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers
Publications

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

Insights from Focus Groups with Employee Owners