Jobs

Every American who wants to work should be able to get a job. When stable employment is available to all, it improves the welfare of the country not only because more people are working, but because at full employment, employers have to compete for personnel, raising wages for workers more broadly. Moreover, workers of color and those without four-year college degrees—who have substantially higher unemployment—gain the most when the economy approaches genuine full employment. To make employers genuinely value their low- and middle-wage workers—no matter where they live or what credentials they hold—lawmakers must pursue policies that make more jobs available, and reduce barriers to employment.

EARN groups develop and advocate for policies that will create good jobs, such as investments in infrastructure and responsible economic development programs, tailoring programs target underserved communities and areas of high unemployment. They also work to reduce barriers to employment by supporting workforce development programs with good labor standards, sector partnerships, and policies such as ban-the-box that help formerly incarcerated individuals rejoin the workforce. Lastly, EARN groups’ work to strengthen state unemployment insurance programs, so that unemployed workers have support when looking for a new job.

Publications

New Hampshire’s Economy: Moving Forward, but Not Yet Running on All Cylinders

One of the key issues debated throughout this year’s extended legislative session was the state of the New Hampshire economy and whether changes in business tax rates would help to foster future growth. While this issue dominated budget discussions, an examination of the true state of the economy often seemed missing. As this Issue Brief explains, on one hand, New Hampshire businesses are steadily producing more goods and services and hiring additional workers. At the same time, though, more and more of our fellow residents struggle to provide the basics for themselves, particularly households with children.

The State of Working Pennsylvania 2015

This year’s The State of Working Pennsylvania finds that this new threat to the state’s economy comes at a time when there is substantial excess capacity in the Pennsylvania labor market. As of July, the share of the working-age population with a job stood at 59.3% — just over two percentage points below the level before the Great Recession. The situation is no better for prime-age workers (25 to 54 years of age), 77.4% of whom had a job in the most recent year, which is almost 3 percentage points lower than before the Great Recession.

The State of Working Wisconsin 2015: Facts & Figures

For Labor Day weekend, COWS has released The State of Working Wisconsin 2015 Facts & Figures, an overview of the critical issues facing working people in the state. From the perspective of working Wisconsin, the news this weekend is not good. Wisconsin faces slow growth, extreme racial disparity in unemployment, long-term stagnation in wages, and one-fourth of workers struggling in poverty-wage jobs.

For Many, Hard Work is Not Enough: The State of Working Minnesota 2015

While Minnesota is recovering from the Great Recession, many working Minnesotans still struggle to reach economic security. Even though unemployment is back to pre-recession levels, workers have not seen substantial wage growth. Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, and many families can’t meet their basic needs for child care, transportation, housing and health care.