Job Quality Can’t Wait: An Introduction to the Aspen Institute Job Quality Tools Library

Abstract: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, over half of respondents to a national Gallup poll reported not having a quality job, and respondents’ job quality had a strong influence on their quality of life. Decades of stagnant wages, eroding benefits, and declining employment security have left millions of Americans in unstable jobs. Structural inequality has placed a disproportionate burden on workers of color and women, and in turn the economic fragility of these workers’ households has left them bearing overwhelming burdens in the midst of our current health and economic crises. Organizations that educate workers and refer them to jobs are looking for new tools, approaches, and connections as they seek to address the growing challenge of job quality. The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program developed our Job Quality Tools Library to provide actionable tools to help leaders adopt practices to strengthen job quality in their own organizations, in the businesses they work with, and in local labor markets. In this session, we’ll introduce the library, including sharing why and how we developed it, explaining how to navigate it, and providing guidance about how to use it in your work to strengthen jobs and racial equity for adult learners. We’ll focus on tools and approaches that you can put to work immediately as you respond to the current crisis. Original Webinar Date: February 18, 2021 Webinar Recording Link: https://youtu.be/2irDQM1rle0