Our Mission

To rebuild a more equitable and resilient labor market.

Who We Are
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

Job search and matching December 07, 2020

Pathways to Work Clearinghouse Curates Evidence on Services Supporting Job-Seekers with Low Incomes

This tool helps policymakers search for evidence on the effects of combinations of services or interventions that assist job-seekers.

Daniel Kuehn

Stakeholder voices November 20, 2020

A Q&A with Michael Strain

The director of economic policy studies at American Enterprise Institute says more work is to be done to ensure job training programs in the U.S. live up to their promise.

Elisabeth Jacobs

Stakeholder voices November 20, 2020

A Q&A with Sandra Susan Smith

Smith, the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Harvard Kennedy School, argues for building an economy based on valuing human life over profit.

Elisabeth Jacobs

Stakeholder voices November 06, 2020

A Q&A with Darrick Hamilton

One of the nation’s leading voices and economic thinkers on racial justice, Hamilton reflects upon how race and identity shape economic and labor market outcomes.

Elisabeth Jacobs

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.

William J. Congdon

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.

K. Steven Brown

Economic context September 16, 2020

Five Lessons from Last Decade's Employment Recovery

The employment recovery from the Great Recession offers five key lessons for policymakers, employers, and other decisionmakers as they face the employment crisis created by Covid-19.

Donald Marron