Job quality today is a challenge. Many people who work every day to connect people to economic opportunities that will provide a dignified living can see this. Whether it’s a family sustaining wage, decent benefits, safe working conditions, or simply a schedule that is manageable with their other obligations—finding jobs that meet people’s basic economic needs can be a challenge.
But what if we rethought this approach? What if, instead of trying to find the “good jobs” within the sea of inadequate ones, we instead tried to transform jobs so that more of them provide workers with what they need to thrive? We know this approach sounds daunting—but many organizations have started down this road, and are making progress. And that is what this series is all about. What are the practical strategies organizations can use to address the biggest economic opportunity challenge we face—fixing work.
In 2019, the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, with support from Prudential Financial, launched an effort to encourage the development of job quality practices that promote access to economic opportunity. In this webinar series, we 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.