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.
Efforts to improve work and working conditions in the US have been underway since our nation’s inception. While labor unions have historically led this work, the growing prevalence of low-wage, precarious jobs has inspired a broader movement. Today, a diverse array of leaders across sectors are advancing bold solutions to “fix work” — to ensure every job in our economy is a good job. The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program has released a report, Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners, based on in-depth interviews with more than 20 leaders across the country about the work they are doing to create good jobs that provide economic security, the opportunity to advance and grow, and a safe, dignified, and equitable workplace.
In this webinar, which took place on July 22, 2025, we hear from leaders who are at the forefront of building a fairer and more just economy, where workers, communities, and businesses can succeed together. Learn how these leaders think about good jobs, what strategies they use to build them, and the experiences and lessons they have learned in creating change. Whether you’re a workforce leader, policymaker, business advisor, or advocate, this conversation will offer fresh insights, practical lessons, and inspiration to advance job quality in your own work. Our speakers include Evan Edwards (Project Equity), Adam Kader (ARISE Chicago), Renise Walker (Colorado Workforce Development Council), and moderator Matt Helmer (The Aspen Institute).
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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States invest in work-connected learning through dozens of distinct funding streams, grant programs, and agency initiatives, often developed independently over time by different administrations and agencies pursuing different goals.
“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.
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.
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.
