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Discussion Paper
COVID-19, Workers, and Policy
As coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) spreads around the world and across the United States, many policymakers and public health officials are encouraging employers to tell workers to work remotely or to stay home when they or their family members are sick. There are significant questions, though, about how many people can work from home. Many U.S. workers in retail, restaurants, manufacturing, and other occupations cannot do so. This Workforce Currents post will explore who can work from home and identify practices and policies to support workers who cannot work from home in the event of a pandemic ...
Discussion Paper
Can Lessons from the Great Recession Guide Policy Responses to the Pandemic-Driven Economic Crisis?
In a 1948 speech to the British House of Commons, Winston Churchill warned, "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." As the U.S. economy struggles to reopen safely and recover, what are the lessons from the Great Recession that might help guide how policymakers respond to the pandemic-driven economic crisis?1 What should we expect over the coming months and years as the nation struggles to restore its economy, which before the pandemic had finally achieved historically low unemployment levels? In June 2020, there is much that we do not know or would even attempt to ...
Discussion Paper
Older Workers Face New Risks because of the COVID-19 Recession
For the large cohort of older workers, the significant difference between the COVID-19 recession and previous ones is the combined effect of the economic recession and the health risks of the COVID-19 outbreak. Older workers are facing the high health risks of working during a pandemic, on the one hand, as well as the risk of losing their jobs, on the other hand, which can lead to significantly lower wages in the future or even involuntary early retirement.Older workers are a substantial and growing share of the U.S. labor force. The share of people working or looking for work who are 50 or ...
Discussion Paper
Opportunity Occupations in the Southeast
Opportunity occupations—or opportunity employment—are jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree and pay above a regionally adjusted median wage. This article takes a look at trends in the Southeast. For a deeper look at trends in opportunity occupations, see also "Opportunity Occupations Revisited: Exploring Employment for Sub-Baccalaureate Workers Across Metro Areas and Over Time."
Discussion Paper
The Workforce Development Field or a Conduit for Maintaining Systemic Racism?
Not many people can say they deliberately chose the field of workforce development as a career path. Yet many amazing and formidable people have contributed to the growth and development of this field, despite its original focus: supporting white, dislocated workers.
Discussion Paper
Policies to Close the Southern Skills Gap
Southern states have a number of economic and demographic characteristics that make them unique from the rest of the country—and increase the need to build skills to advance economic development in the region.
Discussion Paper
Transitioning from Hospitality to Health Care Occupations
The job losses and unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are unrivaled in modern times. Despite record job growth in June and a decline in unemployment, the U.S. economy remains at great risk. Although many furloughed workers have returned to their jobs, millions of workers have been laid off permanently. Many of the regained jobs were in industry sectors most affected by the initial shutdown, such as bars and restaurants and hospitality and tourism. Since the U.S. Department of Labor's June Employment Situation Summary was released, however, COVID-19 cases have spiked in many ...
Discussion Paper
Emerging Themes from Workforce Development Month 2021
Workforce Development Month, celebrated each September, focuses on what workers need to be successful in an evolving economy. Lawmakers, researchers, and practitioners acknowledge National Workforce Development Month to help uplift challenges within the industry. Many Americans face barriers in securing and maintaining quality employment, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges. In August 2021, the national unemployment rate remained elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels. The number of workers who are long-term unemployed (unemployed for 27 weeks or more) has nearly ...
Discussion Paper
Public Libraries and the Workforce
This Workforce Currents article presents the broad range of ways that public libraries are responding to COVID-19. It provides a brief overview of the role of libraries and their range of services, how they responded to workforce needs in the past, and how they are responding and preparing for long-term impacts of the current pandemic. Libraries are mobilizing for the economic fallout associated with COVID-19 such as facilitating unemployment insurance enrollment, referrals to food banks, and other services for immediate needs. Library staff are also thinking longer term about how ...
Discussion Paper
Discontent, Occupational Change, and the Roles Workers Are Leaving amid the Great Resignation
Workers are dissatisfied with the world of work and are holding out for flexible and worker-centric opportunities. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity (CWEO) has been hosting conversations with workers who have expressed displeasure with on-the-job treatment from both customers and management, inflexible work schedules, poor work-life balance, inability to work remotely or with a hybrid schedule, inadequate pay and benefits, limited opportunities for growth and training, and pay raises that are not keeping up with inflation. In fact, the Pew ...