WorkRise Awards $3 Million to Advance Worker Mobility
The projects selected build on foundations laid through previous research investments from WorkRise and break new ground in emerging areas of focus, particularly in small business practices.
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The projects selected build on foundations laid through previous research investments from WorkRise and break new ground in emerging areas of focus, particularly in small business practices.
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

Skills and training
September 26, 2023The Impact of Student Debt on the Low-Wage Workforce
Student loan debt has a negative impact on labor market outcomes and economic mobility, with disparate economic impacts for low-wealth households. Burdens fall more heavily on Black and Latinx borrowers and those who did not complete their degree.
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The Latest

Job search and matching
September 19, 2023
Research Summary
How Job Search Limitations Worsen Wage Inequality
Wealth inequality, societal expectations, and declining worker power worsen wage gaps by making it more difficult for people of color and women to search for better-paying jobs.

Worker voice, representation, and power
September 12, 2023
Research Summary
Understanding Diverse Economic Outcomes in the Transgender Community
This research study highlights the economic disparities faced by transgender workers in the US, underscoring the importance of inclusive data collection and antidiscrimination policies to promote equity and inclusivity in the labor market.

Worker voice, representation, and power
September 01, 2023
Research Summary
Unionized Energy Workers Concerned About Employment Frictions with Transitions to Renewable Energy
Research finds that unionized energy workers are concerned about transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy industries, emphasizing the role that workers must play in climate change policy discussions.
Research
Employer practices
Executive Summary
December 10, 2022
Executive Summary: The National Study of Workplace Equity
In a new study, researchers from Work Equity, an initiative at the Boston College School of Social Work, and SHRM find that much progress needs to be made on equity across the employment lifecycle. Based on a survey of just over 1,000 workplaces, researchers find that equity is implemented inconsistently across 10 discrete employment systems.
Grantee Research
Social determinants of work
Brief
September 29, 2022
The EITC and Racial Income Inequality
A new analysis from WorkRise grantees finds that the earned income tax credit reduces racial income inequality among lower- and middle-income households but may widen it for households in deep poverty.
Grantee Research
Worker voice, representation, and power
Report
July 28, 2022
Worker Power and Economic Mobility: A Landscape Report
This landscape report summarizes empirical evidence on two main pathways for workers to exercise their power in the labor market: the ability to exit their current job for better outside options and organizations and institutions that build worker voice within firms.
WorkRise Research
Job search and matching
Report
July 20, 2022
Search and Matching in Modern Labor Markets: A Landscape Report
This landscape report synthesizes research on how job seekers find work and how employers post and fill open positions in the labor market. It also explores frictions experienced by both parties and implications for workers’ economic mobility.
WorkRise Research