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.
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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
Employer practices
Last updated on November 19, 2024
Video
WorkRise Shorts: Overcoming Racial Disparities in Manufacturing Recruitment and Training Programs
Can a new local manufacturing workforce development program that targets workers who are not traditionally engaged in the sector overcome racial disparities in its hiring and wage rates?
Last updated on November 19, 2024
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
Worker voice, representation, and power
Feature
Last updated on October 24, 2024
Segregation 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.
WorkRise Research
Research
Employer practices
Report
Last updated on October 25, 2024
The Minneapolis Small Business High-Road Labor Standards Intervention Pilot Project
The Minneapolis Small Business High-Road Labor Standards Intervention Pilot Project seeks to provide services that support immigrant, black, indigenous, and people of color owned small businesses so that they can create healthy, just, and equitable jobs through meeting and or exceeding minimum city labor standards.
Grantee Research
Employer practices
Brief
Last updated on September 19, 2024
Extreme Heat at Work
This research brief offers the first nationally representative estimates of how outdoor and indoor workers are affected by extreme heat, highlighting that low-wage workers, defined as adults earning less than $15 an hour, face greater risks than higher-wage earners.
WorkRise Research
Skills and training
Report
Last updated on August 27, 2024
Supporting Youth Economic Mobility through Employment-Focused Strategies
WorkRise’s new landscape research report on youth economic mobility reviews the evidence of programs and practices that help young workers succeed and advance in the labor market.
WorkRise Research
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