Overview
Many workers in the US experience limited opportunities and are over- or underrepresented in certain kinds of jobs because of occupational segregation and discrimination. They are affected in adverse and unequal ways in the labor market based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, and other demographic characteristics. WorkRise generates evidence on and elevates our understanding of how demographic disparities and inequities can be addressed to promote economic mobility for all workers and create a more equitable labor market.
Working Knowledge
Demographic disparities
March 22, 2022
Article
New and Noteworthy: Research on gender wage gaps, remedies for occupational segregation, and more
March is Women’s History Month, and labor experts and advocates are rightfully focused on persistent wage disparities between women and men despite laws against gender discrimination. Our column this month highlights new research focused on gender pay gaps.
March 22, 2022
Demographic disparities
February 22, 2022
Article
New and Noteworthy: Research on discrimination in lending, a new equity-focused institute for direct care workers, and more
Structural racism has shaped the labor market and employment experiences of Black workers, but evidence that leads to action can help dismantle harmful policies and practices and rebuild equitable ones in their place.
February 22, 2022
Economic context
December 16, 2021
Article
As Jobs Return, the Long-Term Unemployed Remain At Risk of Missing Out on the Recovery
Key takeaways from the AARP and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's virtual event examining current labor market issues, The Great Resignation and Long-Term Unemployment.
December 16, 2021
Research
Federal policy
March 29, 2022
Income Inequality, Race, and the EITC
New grantee research finds the 1993 expansion of the earned income tax credit reduced income inequality among Black and white households in the lower half of the income distribution through a significant employment response among Black households.
March 29, 2022
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.
September 28, 2020