ABOUT
Nationwide, more than 53 million Americans are working in low-wage jobs, and roughly six in 10 workers report being in “mediocre” or “bad” jobs. Results for America’s Good Jobs & Equity Project (GJEP) represents a growing movement to rethink what makes a good job and take evidence-based action to promote equitable, high-quality employment for all.
GJEP was launched in 2022 to support state, local and tribal government leaders in leveraging historic recovery investments from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to improve job quality and advance workforce equity.
Backed by the Families and Workers Fund, the project will equip 12 jurisdictions with the tools, resources and skills needed to build and use evidence and data to create high-quality jobs. The project will also identify the most effective evidence-based strategies for improving job quality in more communities across the country.
The first phase of GJEP ran between June and November 2022. It helped 20 jurisdictions develop a strategic foundation to lead long-term initiatives that can harness the power of evidence and data to improve equity and economic mobility for their communities.
In the second phase of the project, the Good Jobs Fellows will implement action plans through additional technical assistance and learning content, access to experts and other support to advance measurable, sustainable and evidenced-based job quality interventions in their communities.
Projects include:
- Expanding support for childcare providers, including a wage boost;
- Developing first responder career pathways for underserved residents;
- Incentivizing businesses to commit to more equitable hiring practices;
- Building a workforce that reflects the community it serves to meet renewable energy goals.
BLOG SERIES: HOW TO CREATE BETTER JOBS
- Introduction: How to Make a Better Job
- Worker Empowerment Is Important for Job Quality. It’s Also Good for Business
- The Unique Business Incentive Program Taking On Atlanta’s Economic Gaps
- Maximizing Dollars for Good: How Local Governments Use Procurement to Advance Job Quality and Equity
PARTICIPANTS
- City of Atlanta (GA)
- Invest Atlanta will focus on the integration of the Equity-centered Incentive Grant Program (E3) framework within the design of healthy food and grocery programming. This will facilitate small businesses in the healthy food and grocery sectors to grow as employers of choice, active community builders, and will promote the value of our E3 Agreement. This ties in with the incentives Invest Atlanta has available for grocery and health food business attraction and how the organization can leverage those to reduce food deserts in disinvested neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta.
Job Quality Lever: Policy/Education & Enforcement
Job Quality Components: Wages, benefits & scheduling
- Invest Atlanta will focus on the integration of the Equity-centered Incentive Grant Program (E3) framework within the design of healthy food and grocery programming. This will facilitate small businesses in the healthy food and grocery sectors to grow as employers of choice, active community builders, and will promote the value of our E3 Agreement. This ties in with the incentives Invest Atlanta has available for grocery and health food business attraction and how the organization can leverage those to reduce food deserts in disinvested neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta.
- Baltimore County (MD)
- Baltimore County will create and administer a CNA-to-RN training program in conjunction with the Community College of Baltimore County and the University of Maryland Medical System, leveraging federal recovery dollars to support program participants. This program is intended to help economically vulnerable participants advance through training and work-based learning into high-skill, high-quality employment in the healthcare industry.
- Job Quality Lever: Policy
- Job Quality Components: Learning & Development
- Baltimore County will create and administer a CNA-to-RN training program in conjunction with the Community College of Baltimore County and the University of Maryland Medical System, leveraging federal recovery dollars to support program participants. This program is intended to help economically vulnerable participants advance through training and work-based learning into high-skill, high-quality employment in the healthcare industry.
- City of Boulder (CO)
- The City of Boulder is focused on improving internal hiring practices to support equity and inclusion in civil service employment. Boulder will research, plan, and pilot programs to improve recruitment, retention and diversity of the city’s workforce. Further research is being conducted to identify specific factors impacting the ability to attract and retain workers including those representing historically underserved communities. Once factors are isolated, the City will engage individual departments and community partners to finalize a job quality framework, and identify barriers to providing equitable access to quality jobs and ways to overcome those barriers. Lastly, individual departments will develop plans for addressing issues and leveraging opportunities identified. For example, we might work with our local workforce development center to create pilot training and apprenticeship programs for jobs that require specific skills or certifications and provide scholarships for individuals representing historically underserved communities.
- Job Quality Lever: HR Practices
- Job Quality Components: Environment & Culture
- The City of Boulder is focused on improving internal hiring practices to support equity and inclusion in civil service employment. Boulder will research, plan, and pilot programs to improve recruitment, retention and diversity of the city’s workforce. Further research is being conducted to identify specific factors impacting the ability to attract and retain workers including those representing historically underserved communities. Once factors are isolated, the City will engage individual departments and community partners to finalize a job quality framework, and identify barriers to providing equitable access to quality jobs and ways to overcome those barriers. Lastly, individual departments will develop plans for addressing issues and leveraging opportunities identified. For example, we might work with our local workforce development center to create pilot training and apprenticeship programs for jobs that require specific skills or certifications and provide scholarships for individuals representing historically underserved communities.
- Clark County (NV)
- Clark County is focusing on developing career pathways for economically vulnerable citizens to become emergency medical technicians, an occupation with high demand and livable wages. The County will develop a strategy for attraction, training and placement of EMTs, in collaboration with their local area workforce board.
- Job Quality Lever: Policy
- Job Quality Components: Wages, Learning & Development
- Clark County is focusing on developing career pathways for economically vulnerable citizens to become emergency medical technicians, an occupation with high demand and livable wages. The County will develop a strategy for attraction, training and placement of EMTs, in collaboration with their local area workforce board.
- State of Colorado
- Meeting Colorado’s ambitious renewable energy goals requires a strategic workforce strategy. The state’s current energy workforce is not reflective of the state’s demographics and includes a number of jobs that would benefit from job quality improvements. Colorado will conduct an updated landscape analysis of the state’s energy workforce to establish the energy business case for investments in job quality and equity. The Colorado team will also engage energy employer members of Good Business Colorado in a pilot where they will have access to diverse coaches supporting them in identifying specific and low-cost steps they can take to advance job quality and equity within their firms.
- Job Quality Lever: Policy
- Job Quality Components: Voice & Representation, Environment & Culture
- Meeting Colorado’s ambitious renewable energy goals requires a strategic workforce strategy. The state’s current energy workforce is not reflective of the state’s demographics and includes a number of jobs that would benefit from job quality improvements. Colorado will conduct an updated landscape analysis of the state’s energy workforce to establish the energy business case for investments in job quality and equity. The Colorado team will also engage energy employer members of Good Business Colorado in a pilot where they will have access to diverse coaches supporting them in identifying specific and low-cost steps they can take to advance job quality and equity within their firms.
- City of Durham (NC)
- The City of Durham will introduce specialized and targeted training for historically disadvantaged youth through local community colleges, coupled with apprenticeships in city government, to grow equitable employment opportunities in high-quality occupations within the city. The city will work with partner organizations to provide wraparound services such as childcare, transportation, and coaching to ensure that there will be equitable access to career pathways in emerging fields.
- Job Quality Lever: HR Practices
- Job Quality Component: Learning & Development
- The City of Durham will introduce specialized and targeted training for historically disadvantaged youth through local community colleges, coupled with apprenticeships in city government, to grow equitable employment opportunities in high-quality occupations within the city. The city will work with partner organizations to provide wraparound services such as childcare, transportation, and coaching to ensure that there will be equitable access to career pathways in emerging fields.
- Hillsborough County (FL)
- As the local Workforce Development Board for Hillsborough County, FL, CareerSource Tampa Bay will develop a Good Jobs Framework for its general employer and labor exchange services. CSTB sees the potential for a dramatic impact on its workforce system by implementing a framework across all programs and services. A Good Job platform will be developed to drive labor exchange, business services and good jobs in their community.
- Job Quality Lever: Policy
- Job Quality Components: Wages, Benefits and Scheduling
- As the local Workforce Development Board for Hillsborough County, FL, CareerSource Tampa Bay will develop a Good Jobs Framework for its general employer and labor exchange services. CSTB sees the potential for a dramatic impact on its workforce system by implementing a framework across all programs and services. A Good Job platform will be developed to drive labor exchange, business services and good jobs in their community.
- King County (WA)
- King County will provide around 1400 child care workers with a wage boost over the next 5 years, and will utilize phase 2 to design and support rigorously evaluating the impact of the boost on worker and child outcomes.
- Job Quality Lever: Policy
- Job Quality Component: Wages
- King County will provide around 1400 child care workers with a wage boost over the next 5 years, and will utilize phase 2 to design and support rigorously evaluating the impact of the boost on worker and child outcomes.
- Los Angeles County (CA)
- LA County will focus on the launch of Infrastructure LA initiatives, ensuring that planning and implementation are rooted in equity. Infrastructure LA is a partnership of departments within LA County supporting infrastructure and development projects. A primary mandate of Infrastructure LA is to advance projects that support the LA County Board of Supervisors’ equity, sustainability, climate resilience, workforce development, economic development, and job creation goals. Strategies to achieve this mandate include procurement of vendors, targeted hiring practices across County Departments and vendors, engagement with community and industry experts, and research and evaluation.
- Job Quality Lever: Procurement
- Job Quality Components: Environment & Culture, Learning & Development
- LA County will focus on the launch of Infrastructure LA initiatives, ensuring that planning and implementation are rooted in equity. Infrastructure LA is a partnership of departments within LA County supporting infrastructure and development projects. A primary mandate of Infrastructure LA is to advance projects that support the LA County Board of Supervisors’ equity, sustainability, climate resilience, workforce development, economic development, and job creation goals. Strategies to achieve this mandate include procurement of vendors, targeted hiring practices across County Departments and vendors, engagement with community and industry experts, and research and evaluation.
- City of Tulsa (OK)
- PartnerTulsa will focus on education and outreach related to helping local small businesses, especially retail businesses, be employers of choice. This ties in with the incentives PartnerTulsa has available for retail revitalization and how the organization can leverage those to improve outcomes for both business owners and employees.
- Job Quality Lever: Education (Enforcement)
- Job Quality Components: TBD
- PartnerTulsa will focus on education and outreach related to helping local small businesses, especially retail businesses, be employers of choice. This ties in with the incentives PartnerTulsa has available for retail revitalization and how the organization can leverage those to improve outcomes for both business owners and employees.
- Washington County (OR)
- Washington County’s Economic Development Program seeks to provide capacity and resources for internal County departments and community partners by activating and scaling equity, diversity, and inclusion programs that promote wealth building opportunities for historically marginalized communities. The project, called Washington County Means Progress, is an expansion of the already successful initiative led by Prosper Portland. Internal to the County organization, this work includes a focus on strengthening the County’s intentional purchasing and internship programs.
- Job Quality Lever: Procurement, HR Practices
- Job Quality Components: Environment & Culture
- Washington County’s Economic Development Program seeks to provide capacity and resources for internal County departments and community partners by activating and scaling equity, diversity, and inclusion programs that promote wealth building opportunities for historically marginalized communities. The project, called Washington County Means Progress, is an expansion of the already successful initiative led by Prosper Portland. Internal to the County organization, this work includes a focus on strengthening the County’s intentional purchasing and internship programs.
FAQs
- Why was the Good Jobs & Equity Project created?
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provide important opportunities to reshape how government delivers services and outcomes that advance economic recovery, economic mobility and job quality. In particular, these funds elevate a critical opportunity to consider equity in how investments are allocated, and evidence and data leveraged, to create higher quality jobs in communities, particularly for historically underserved communities, and advance equitable outcomes for all. For example, of the $1.9 trillion in ARP federal stimulus funds, $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Relief Funds (SLFRF) are going directly to state, local, and tribal governments.
Results for America – which works across all levels of government to instill data and evidence-based decision-making – is supporting governments to make the most of this opportunity to reimagine and rebuild a more equitable society. The Good Jobs & Equity Project was created to support public sector leaders charged with deploying SLFRF and IIJA funds with the evidence, strategies, networks, technical assistance and practical implementation tools to improve the quality of work in their communities for decades to come.
- What does RFA mean when it says “job quality?”
Components of job quality include wages, benefits, scheduling, learning and career development, safety and security, voice and representation, environment and culture, and purpose and dignity.
Results for America’s framework is centered on equity, with a clear recognition that where high-quality jobs currently exist and who in our society can most easily secure high-quality jobs are fundamentally linked to historical and current discrimination within U.S. society and the economy.
This framework will drive much of the curriculum and the projects developed and executed through the Good Jobs & Equity Project. Additionally, the communities participating in the project will further inform job quality strategies and the national discussion about job quality through additional case studies and evidence.
- What will jurisdictions learn?
The first phase of the project focused on the foundational components of RFA’s job quality framework. This includes:
- Strategy – Adopting a Job Quality framework and definition for your jurisdiction
- Equity – Understanding the connection between equity, stability and economic mobility
- Measurement, Data and Evidence – Adopting an evidence framework and leveraging evidence-based approaches to drive success
- Leading by Example – Positioning your government agency to address internal processes that support job quality for employees and contractors
- Action Planning – Operationalizing your strategy using your State and Local Fiscal Relief Funds (SLFRF) and/or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds
The curriculum for the second phase of the program will focus on the four levers of change that enable government agencies to operationalize their strategy. These include:
- Procurement – Working directly with employer partners, programs or populations through awards, purchases and contract management to define and prioritize evidence of effectiveness and job quality
- HR Practices – Making shifts through internal processes, organizational practices, or priorities to change the way they recruit, hire, support, develop and advance talent
- Policy – Using research, influence and network to inspire policy change at the federal, state or local level
- Empowerment – Fostering and supporting change through worker and business education, awareness and even organizational structure shifts
CONTACT
Program questions can be emailed to [email protected].
Press Contact: Cheryl Burnett, [email protected], 310-560-6648