OUR APPROACH
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.
Working Knowledge
The Latest
Employer practices
February 12, 2021
How Do We Define “Good Jobs,” and How Do They Affect Worker Well-Being?
Our new blog series highlights evidence and areas for further research on connections between job quality and economic mobility. Our first post shares a new framework for understanding job quality elements and how they affect worker well-being.
Stakeholder voices
February 04, 2021
Repairing Labor Market Institutions to Deliver Opportunity: A Q&A with David Autor
Autor, Ford professor of economics at MIT and WorkRise board member, reflects on raising the minimum wage, fixing unemployment insurance, and other reforms to ensure workers reap rewards from economic growth.
Employer practices
January 26, 2021
New Protections Needed for Contractors and Temporary Workers as Companies Continue to Outsource Labor
A new report highlights the need for an expansion of rights and protections for independent contractors and temporary workers, a growing share of the US workforce.
Research
Wages and employer-provided benefits
October 07, 2020
The Challenge of Slow Wage Growth
Because of sluggish wage growth, middle- and low-wage workers in the United States are today doing little better in real terms than similarly situated workers 40 years ago, exacerbating economic burdens experienced by workers during the current COVID-19 crisis. This brief examines the evidence on wage growth for the typical worker over several decades and concludes that efforts to rebuild the U.S. labor market must include policies to accelerate wage growth.
Demographic disparities
September 28, 2020
Racial Inequality in the Labor Market and Employment Opportunities
This brief explores the persistent inequities and disparities in outcomes experienced by people of color in the U.S. labor market through key data points, delves into root causes based on a review of the evidence, and identifies key gaps in our knowledge of why and how labor market inequality endures.
