Policy & Systems Change

Research and evaluation conducted by the Economic Opportunities Program’s Workforce Strategies Initiative explore strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change.

In the years since the end of the Great Recession, the unemployment rate has declined much faster than the poverty rate, and more and more Americans are struggling to find work that allows them to support themselves and their families. WSI’s current research explores “raise the floor and build ladders” strategies, which improve the quality of low-wage jobs and promote mobility for low-wage workers.

Improving Jobs to Improve Care
Publications

Improving Jobs to Improve Care

One of the biggest workforce challenges we face as a country is how to meet the growing demands for home care workers.

Next Generation Employer-Engagement Strategies
Publications

Next Generation Employer-Engagement Strategies

The First Year of Accelerating Opportunity
Publications

The First Year of Accelerating Opportunity

Accelerating Opportunity aims to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain a well-paying job, and sustain a rewarding career.

Fact Sheet on Paid Sick and Family Medical Leave in the United States
Publications

Fact Sheet on Paid Sick and Family Medical Leave in the United States

Today, the United States lacks federal legislation to guarantee paid leave for personal or family illness or the birth of a new child, which forces millions of working Americans to choose between earning a paycheck or caring for themselves and their loved ones.

Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies
Publications

Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies

This book was co-edited by Maureen Conway, Vice President at the Aspen Institute, and Robert P. Giloth, Vice President, Center for Community and Economic Opportunity at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Profiles of the Restaurant Workforce and Restaurant Opportunities Center-United
Publications

Profiles of the Restaurant Workforce and Restaurant Opportunities Center-United

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.

Profiles of the Residential Construction Workforce and the Workers Defense Project
Publications

Profiles of the Residential Construction Workforce and the Workers Defense Project

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.

Profiles of the Direct-Care Workforce and PHI
Publications

Profiles of the Direct-Care Workforce and PHI

This report provides an overview of work in the direct-care industry and profiles PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute), an organization dedicated to improving employment for direct-care workers in the U.S.

Fact Sheet on the Federal Minimum Wage
Publications

Fact Sheet on the Federal Minimum Wage

Learn more about the federal minimum wage with this fact sheet, produced in early 2013.

Workforce Development, Inc. (Southeastern Minnesota)
Publications

Workforce Development, Inc. (Southeastern Minnesota)

This document is a profile of a sector initiative and provides detailed description of the initiative that may include information about program design, funding, worker outcomes, partners and much more.

Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago – Health Care Sector Strategies (Northeast Economic Development Region of Illinois)
Publications

Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago – Health Care Sector Strategies (Northeast Economic Development Region of Illinois)

This document is a profile of a sector initiative and provides detailed description of the initiative that may include information about program design, funding, worker outcomes, partners and much more.

About the Workforce Strategies Initiative

The Workforce Strategies Initiative, part of the Economic Opportunities Program, uses research and evaluation to explore strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change.

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 Workforce Strategies Initiative

Cover Page for the publication "Race and Gender Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Share Ownership"
Publications

Race and Gender Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Share Ownership

Employee ownership can promote equity, improve job quality, and boost business performance.

Cover page for the report "Unpacking the Work of Work-Based Learning"
Publications

Unpacking the Work of Work-Based Learning

Enhancing Conversations Between Employers and Workforce Professionals
Blog Posts

Enhancing Conversations Between Employers and Workforce Professionals

Many young people need job and training opportunities. How do workforce professionals talk about these issues with employers?

Voices from the Field: Engaging Employers to Connect Young Adults to Good Fit Employment
Publications

Voices from the Field: Engaging Employers to Connect Young Adults to Good Fit Employment

Young workers are facing dire employment prospects. But asking employers the right questions can help identify opportunities.

Cover page: "The Benefits of Bridging Divides: How YouthBuild Philly Shares its Supportive Practices to Build Business Value and Better Jobs"
Publications

The Benefits of Bridging Divides: How YouthBuild Philly Shares its Supportive Practices to Build Business Value and Better Jobs

YouthBuild Philly shows how businesses can develop supportive practices to help young people succeed at work.

Cover Page: "Genesis at Work: Evaluating the Effects of Manufacturing Extension on Business Success and Job Quality"
Publications

Genesis at Work: Evaluating the Effects of Manufacturing Extension on Business Success and Job Quality

Workforce practices are central to a firm’s success. What happens when companies focus on people and process equally?

A Toolkit to Engage Employers and Opportunity Youth on the Future of Work
Publications

A Toolkit to Engage Employers and Opportunity Youth on the Future of Work

How can we ensure Opportunity Youth are positioned to succeed in the future of work?

Cost of Turnover Tool: Make the business case to improve retention through upskilling and stability
Publications

Cost of Turnover Tool

Estimate how much your business spends each year replacing staff in one occupation.