New Job Quality Reports Released

The Economic Costs of Poverty in the United States: Subsequent Effects of Children Growing Up Poor by Harry Holzer, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Greg Duncan, and Jens Ludwig

This new collaborative report of the Task Force on Poverty at the Center for American Progress makes an economic case for the reduction of poverty in the United States, with an emphasis on child poverty. Using an analysis of statistical relationships between child poverty and low productivity, crime, and health, researchers found that childhood poverty presents a cost to the nation of about $500B annually, or nearly 4% of GDP. The policy recommendations in the report  include expansion of the EITC and income supports, job training for low-income adults, higher minimum wages, and a right to collective bargaining. This report was featured in Holzer's testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on January 24, 2007.

Protecting New York’s Workers: How the State Department of Labor Can Improve Wage-and-Hour Enforcement by the New York Immigrant Coalition and the Workers' Rights Law Center

The New York Immigration Coalition, the Workers' Rights Law Center and other advocacy organizations have developed recommendations to improve the New York DOL's wage and hour enforcement practices. This report outlines six recommendations for the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) on improving its enforcement of workplace violations, specifically those committed against workers in low-wage industries. Suggestions include proactive investigations through inter-agency coordination, improved responsiveness, and greater transparency. The report emphasizes practical reforms that can be implemented in the current legal framework, many of which  are modeled after innovations from other states or the federal government.

Making Work “Work”: New Ideas from the Winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility by the Families and Work Institute

Making Work "Work" is part of a nationwide initiative from the Families and Work Institute aimed at highlighting “the importance of workplace effectiveness and workplace flexibility as strategies to enhance businesses competitive advantage in the global economy.” The report outlines specific workplace flexibility measures embraced by each of the 2006 winners and also includes practical suggestions from featured employers on how to gain a more effective workforce by implementing a variety of workplace flexibility policies. Winners of the award withstood a rigorous scoring methodology that includes employer practices as well as employees’ views.

British Government Calls on Employers to Invest in Workforce Training

Chancellor Gordon Brown and Education Secretary Alan Johnson are launching a public debate in the UK on the best way to improve workers’ skills for the new global economy. The Government is calling on all employers to sign up for a ‘Skills Pledge’ which aims to equip British workers with the higher-level skills they will need in an increasingly competitive economy. Employers that make the ‘Skills Pledge’ are required to implement a training plan that will build the skills of employees and increase the competitiveness of the British workforce.