Overview

People’s access to opportunity and advancement in the labor market is shaped by macroeconomic forces, technological change, policy choices, and labor market dynamics. Over the past 40 years, these influences have culminated in greater income inequality and less upward economic mobility for US workers. They have also contributed to a growing share of low-wage jobs in the US labor market. WorkRise generates evidence on and elevates our understanding of how macroeconomic, technological change, policy, and labor market dynamics influence economic security and mobility.

Working Knowledge

In Depth

Economic context Last updated on November 20, 2024

WorkRise Manufacturing and Supply Chains Projects

WorkRise has invested in several projects that provide data-driven solutions for policymakers, employers, advocates, and practitioners committed to revitalizing US manufacturing jobs. These initiatives aim to generate meaningful mobility, particularly for younger workers, people of color, and women, who face low wages and systemic barriers to opportunity in this critical field.
Last updated on November 20, 2024

In Depth

Economic context Last updated on October 24, 2024

Low-Wage Work in America

For millions of people in America’s workforce, economic stability and upward mobility remain frustratingly out of reach. Low-wage workers all across the nation are living 

Last updated on October 24, 2024
group of diverse businesspeople working on a laptop
Economic context Last updated on June 11, 2024
Research Summary

Better Local Labor Market Conditions Can Help Reduce the Risk of Reincarceration in the United States

Formerly incarcerated people who face better local labor market conditions when they are released from prison are estimated to face lower likelihoods of being reincarcerated.

Marokey Sawo

Last updated on June 11, 2024
African American woman Using Laptop Computer at Night
Economic context Last updated on April 30, 2024
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Workers’ Assessments of AI’s Impact on Jobs

Rutgers University distinguished professor Carl Van Horn, founding director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, shares insights from his research, which looks at US workers’ attitudes toward government oversight of AI technologies and its impact on jobs.
Last updated on April 30, 2024

Research

Workers talking in factory
Economic context Last updated on July 09, 2024

Expanding Worker Opportunities Through Evidence: WorkRise Impact Report 2023

By bridging knowledge gaps and forging multi-stakeholder partnerships among employers, worker advocates, policymakers, and practitioners, WorkRise is meaningfully improving economic mobility for lower-wage workers. Our 2023 Impact Report shares more about how we lead with rigorous yet actionable research and get it into the hands of the change makers best positioned to act on it.
Last updated on July 09, 2024
Economic context Report Last updated on May 14, 2024

Aligning Workforce and Economic Development to Benefit Workers

In this report, WorkRise examines what we know about the impacts of the workforce development and economic development fields and their implications for equitable economic outcomes for low-wage workers, especially Black individuals and other people of color who have faced systematic challenges in economic mobility.

Mark Treskon, Jonathan Morgan, Shubhangi Kumari, John Quinterno

WorkRise Research

Last updated on May 14, 2024
Economic context Report November 20, 2023

Quantifying the Costs of Rising Unemployment

Rising unemployment brings significant costs to workers, their families, social outcomes, and the economy at-large. The contemporary tight labor market provides a good opportunity for researchers to better understand the benefits of low unemployment and thus the risks of high unemployment.

Joe Peck

WorkRise Research

November 20, 2023
Economic context Infographic September 12, 2023

Leveraging Federal Funds to Create Quality Jobs

Do you want better jobs for your community? Through new federal dollars, state and local policymakers have a once-in-a-generation chance to build a new and thriving workforce.

Pamela J. Loprest , Todd Greene, Ryan Kelsey

WorkRise Research

September 12, 2023
Economic context Executive Summary March 15, 2023

How Past Criminal Convictions Bar Floridians from Occupational Licensing Opportunities

In this report, the Florida Policy Institute and the DeVoe L. Moore Center at Florida State University highlight research exploring the relationship between occupational licensing and recidivism and the consequences of overregulation on workforce development. The authors also survey the landscape of Florida’s occupational licensing laws and policy reform efforts and present policy proposals to reduce professional licensing barriers for people with criminal records.

Tachana Joseph-Marc, Samuel R. Staley

Grantee Research

March 15, 2023

Upcoming Events

Nov

21 - 23

Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM)

2024 APPAM Fall Reasearch Conference

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Dec

12

HR Policy Association

Unraveling Labor & Employment Implications Post-Elections

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