Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Our Work

The Economic Opportunities Program takes a variety of approaches to expanding opportunity, including projects, initiatives, fellowships, and events.

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Projects and Initiatives

Job Quality Center of Excellence

The Job Quality Center of Excellence offers tools, resources, and guidance on job quality for those working to build a more equitable and sustainable economy. jobqualitycenter.org

Business Ownership Initiative

The Business Ownership Initiative works to build understanding and strengthen the role of business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy. as.pn/boi

UpSkill America

UpSkill America supports employers and workforce organizations to expand and improve high-quality educational and career advancement opportunities for America’s front-line workers. as.pn/upskill

Shared Success

Working in partnership with selected CDFIs, Shared Success aims to improve job quality at small businesses while helping to drive business success. as.pn/sharedsuccess

Future of Work Initiative

The Future of Work Initiative aims to identify, develop, and amplify solutions that address the challenges of today while building toward a future in which workers are safe, empowered, and equipped to thrive in our changing world. as.pn/futureofwork

Good Companies/Good Jobs

The Good Companies/Good Jobs initiative equips companies to empower economic opportunity across the US through a key lever: good jobs. as.pn/gcgj

Workforce Strategies Initiative

Through research and evaluation, the Workforce Strategies Initiative explores strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change. as.pn/wsi

Fellowships

Workforce Leadership Academies

Workforce Leadership Academies bring together local leaders to develop and sustain effective workforce strategies, collaborate more deeply with employers, and expand the number and quality of leaders who advance opportunities for low-wage workers and job seekers as they meet employers’ talent development needs. as.pn/wla

Education and Career Mobility Fellowship

The Education and Career Mobility Fellowship, which is offered by UpSkill America in partnership with Guild, supports dedicated professionals who manage and administer talent development programs, recognizing the unique challenges and diverse backgrounds they bring. It is designed for mid-career professionals, offering a chance to learn, grow, and build a strong network.

Job Quality Fellowship

The Job Quality Fellowship brings together leaders from differing lines of work, in communities across the country, who are working to expand the availability of better quality jobs. as.pn/jobquality

Event Series

Opportunity in America

Opportunity in America considers the changing landscape of economic opportunity in the US and implications for individuals, families, and communities across the country. The series highlights the ways in which issues of race, gender, and place exacerbate our economic divides, and ideas and innovations with potential to address these challenges and broaden access to quality opportunity. as.pn/opportunityinamerica

Job Quality in Practice

Job Quality in Practice webinars provide actionable tools and guidance to support leaders across geographies and fields — including workforce development, economic development, capital deployment, policy, worker advocacy, business, and higher education — to engage in practical action to improve jobs in their local communities and connect to a growing national conversation. as.pn/jobqualityinpractice

Employee Ownership Ideas Forum

The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum — hosted in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University — convenes policymakers, practitioners, researchers, philanthropists, investors, and leaders of employee-owned companies to learn about and discuss the latest in policy, research, finance, and practice.

Newsletters

Job Quality Newsletter

Our Job Quality Newsletter is a curated collection of job quality resources on a specific theme, from our library and beyond.

Resource Roundup

Resource Roundup is an editorial take on the latest articles and reports that shape our thinking on economic opportunity.

From the Forum

From the Forum highlights key moments from the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum to inspire fresh thinking and action around expanding ownership.

Upcoming Events

Our Upcoming Events newsletter offers a snapshot of public events and other opportunities to hear from our staff.

Monthly Digest

Our Monthly Digest newsletter is a recap of public activities from the past month, including new publications, commentary, videos, podcasts, media coverage, and more.

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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Connect on Social Media

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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Resource Roundup: Data Centers and the Workforce
Blog Posts

Resource Roundup: Data Centers and the Workforce

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Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — September 2026

Work and the Social Contract in the Age of AI: How did we get here?
Podcasts Videos

Work and the Social Contract in the Age of AI: How did we get here?

“Social contract” has quickly become one of the most-used, least-defined phrases in the AI policy conversation. This first event in a two-part series will trace the origin and history of the American social contract, examining how work became the anchor of economic security, mobility, and civic identity in the United States.

Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman
Podcasts Videos

Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman

For decades, economists and policymakers have debated how to help workers get better jobs. But what if the more fundamental problem is that employers have systematically redesigned work itself to make a third of the workforce expendable? In his forthcoming book, “Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment,” MIT Sloan Professor Emeritus Paul Osterman examines this idea and what it would take to reverse it.

Building an Ownership Culture: From the Shop Floor to the National Narrative
Blog Posts

Building an Ownership Culture: From the Shop Floor to the National Narrative

The Workforce of the Future Starts with Adult Basic Education
Blog Posts

The Workforce of the Future Starts with Adult Basic Education

To create a future-ready workforce system, we must move beyond outdated credentials and analog processes to one that is skills-first, transparent, data-driven, and aligned with the evolving needs of workers, educators, and employers.

Foundational Skills: Early Insights from Employers and Providers
Publications

Foundational Skills: Early Insights from Employers and Providers

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.

How Tax Policy Can Help Employers Expand Access to Learning
Podcasts Videos

How Tax Policy Can Help Employers Expand Access to Learning

In this interview, Chelsea Miller of Upskill America speaks with Nick Greif of InStride about how employers can design education benefits that are more accessible, strategic, and aligned with workforce goals.