A Job Quality Agenda for the Next Administration
The Importance of Job Quality
We need a new vision for work, one that is rooted in the ideals of freedom, fairness, and universal human dignity as much as in the persistent pursuit of economic efficiency. For most Americans, work is both a means to support oneself and one’s family and an important source of human connection and social identity. Success at work can expand access to resources that in turn expand choices and freedoms. How communities and businesses should operate to improve job quality and expand opportunity for all has been a central concern of our work as Job Quality Fellows. We can progress toward a more inclusive and equitable future through businesses, workers, investors, government, and others working together to create the good jobs that enable workers to thrive, companies to be productive and profitable, and communities to benefit from healthy, sustainable economies.
Moving Beyond Gratitude: Opportunities to Improve Essential Work
Description
Among the many unexpected lessons of 2020 was a recognition of the importance of essential workers. We saw how much we rely on the people who work in our food systems, who care for our children and our loved ones, who deliver packages, and who keep our public spaces clean. We learned to say thank you to so many of them, and in this season of thanks, we reflect on how we can do more than say thank you by improving the quality of essential jobs. As the year draws to a close, we discuss the important role of essential workers in our economy and society and a variety of approaches for improving essential work.