We face significant challenges associated with the changing nature of work. Policies such as portable benefits, training credits, and lifelong learning accounts are integral to ensuring that the future of work is bright for workers and businesses alike.
But policy solutions are not enough – technological innovation also has an important role to play. For example, the National Domestic Workers Alliance’s (NDWA) Fair Care Labs has developed Alia, a tool that facilitates the collection of small, regular contributions from multiple clients for the purposes of funding workers’ benefits, such as sick leave, disability, and life insurance. Client contributions are voluntary, and workers can choose which benefits to receive.
Last month, Google.org announced that it would provide a grant to help NDWA scale up Alia and other tools that directly improve workers’ lives. This funding is part of a broader, $50 million effort to prepare workers for the future of work.
NDWA has been a leader in the effort to develop portable benefits. NDWA signed the original letter that helped kick off the portable benefits conversation, and last year one of its affiliates – the Brazilian Worker Center – received a grant from the Department of Labor to develop a benefits tool.
We’re excited to see Google.org be a leader in the future of work conversation, and encouraged that it is helping support such important work.
