Segregation in the Low-Wage Workforce
In this new feature, we illustrate the shifting racial composition of low-wage work and explore how policymakers and employers can strengthen America’s workforce, boost productivity, and foster a more equitable, sustainable economy.
Explore the full feature
In this new feature, we illustrate the shifting racial composition of low-wage work and explore how policymakers and employers can strengthen America’s workforce, boost productivity, and foster a more equitable, sustainable economy.
Grantmaking and Partnerships
Led by a cross-sector Leadership Board that is ideologically diverse and representative of often-siloed groups, WorkRise invests in research on policies, programs, and practices that have the potential to accelerate economic security and mobility for low-wage workers. We fund analyses and the creation of data that shed light on labor market barriers, trends, and opportunities. And we engage in strategic partnerships that help advance evidence-based solutions in support of our mission. Learn more about our most recent request for proposals and how you can collaborate with WorkRise.
The Latest
In Depth
Worker voice, representation, and power
Last updated on October 24, 2024Segregation in the Low-Wage Workforce
Over the past 50 years, the composition of the low-wage workforce has changed: more than half of low-wage workers are now people of color, up from just 20 percent in 1971. Today, Black, Latino, and women workers are more likely to be segregated into worse-quality and lower-paying jobs.
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Employer practices
Last updated on October 08, 2024Young Workers Need Support When They Can't Find Their Footing in the US Workforce
During recessions, young workers are less likely to find work and face lower wage growth than more experienced workers. Unemployment Insurance could be reformed to support these young workers as they navigate the labor market amid economic downturns at foundational times in their careers, alongside other policy tools that can be effective in these instances.
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Skills and training
Last updated on June 04, 2024WorkRise Shorts: Applying AI to Rebuild Middle Class Jobs with David Autor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Autor asks what artificial intelligence could enable people to do and who could be enabled by this tool.
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The Latest
Skills and training
October 29, 2020
Article
Skills and Training Are Important—But They Alone Won’t Accelerate Upward Mobility for Workers
The problem isn’t a skills shortage, but a lack of clear pathways into good jobs that offer economic security and opportunities for advancement.
Economic context
October 29, 2020
Article
An Equitable COVID-19 Recovery Depends on Dismantling Racial Inequities in the Workplace and the Labor Market
Improving baseline job quality, increasing worker power and voice, and disaggregating data by race and ethnicity are key steps to ensuring the labor market better serves workers of color.
Economic context
October 29, 2020
Article
Ensuring a Recovery That Offers Greater Economic Mobility to More Americans
A bipartisan panel of economists agrees that the Covid-19 crisis has exposed past and current failures to target policies and action towards workers in low-wage jobs and industries. Now is the time to chart a more equitable course.
