HOW CAN WE MAKE MORE JOBS GOOD JOBS?

Transcription

1 HOW CAN WE MAKE MORE JOBS GOOD JOBS? Spring 2018 Pathways to Prosperity Network Institute May 1, 2018

2 WE RE NOT WRONG ABOUT MIDDLESKILLS JOBS Burning Glass Technologies,

3 BUT THE PICTURE IS COMPLICATED Lifetime jobs Careers in themselves Little advancement to higher positions, but good pay and stability Examples: dental hygienist, welder Springboard jobs Lead to careers Advancement to different roles with more responsibility and higher pay Common in business and IT Static jobs Don t typically lead to careers Lower pay than other middle-skills jobs and high turnover; little advancement potential Examples: medical assistants, assemblers of electrical equipment

4 AND WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER JOBS? ME WA OR NV CA ID UT MT WY CO ND SD NE KS MN WI IA IL MO MI OH IN KY WV PA VA NY NC MD VT NH NJ DE MA RI CT Washington D.C. AZ NM OK AR MS TN AL GA SC AK TX LA FL Retail (22 states) Education (11 states) HI Health care (12 states) Other (5 states)

5 LOW WAGES IN THE MOST NUMEROUS JOBS Registered nurses Median wages: $70,000 Employment: 2,906,840 Welders Median wages: $40,240 Employment: 377,250 Food preparation and serving workers Median wages: $20,180 Employment: 3,576,220 Retail salespersons Median wages: $23,210 Employment: 4,442,090 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment and wages by occupation, May 2017 on the Internet at nt-and-wages-by-occupation-may-2017.htm

6 IS IT TIME TO RETHINK OUR DEFINITION OF A GOOD JOB? We have usually defined a good job as a middle-skills job that pays a family-sustaining wage. Ideas for other definitions? What are the key elements of job quality?

7 DEFINING QUALITY: ADVANCEMENT CUNY Career Maps Cooks and Chefs > Based on actual career trajectories > Of those who started as cooks: (Orange represents cooking jobs; green represents business/management jobs) Source:

8 DEFINING QUALITY: WORKER VOICE > Workplace / personal issues Respect Safety Abuse / discrimination Schedules > Organizational values Organizational strategy Product definition Use of technology Tom Kochan et al, Worker Voice in America: A Current Assessment and Exploration of Options 8

9 DEVELOPING SKILLS OF THE FUTURE > Customer-facing industries are well-positioned to function as accessible opportunities for employerdesirable training and skilldevelopment Wide entry-level market Specific roles protected from AI > We also know these industries can be problematic Low wages Limited mobility Lack of personal satisfaction 9

10 RETHINKING JOB QUALITY > Reframing retail and related occupations to function as employability schools > Most common job functions within food, hospitality and retail are transferrable and highly desired by employers across industries well beyond CFIs 10

11 VALUE OF RETAIL AND RETAIL- ADJACENT EMPLOYMENT > Adjacent sector managers views of retail employees ranged from somewhat to very positive Call centers, banking, healthcare, automotive > Other admirable qualities Customer service aptitude Ability to sell products/tell a compelling story Interpersonal skills comfortable and confident with people Decision-making and problem solving abilities Analytical skills i.e., can determine customers needs 11

12 LEVERAGING OPPORTUNITY > Numerous retail, food, and hospitality employers provide competitive benefits to position individuals for advancement opportunities beyond CFIs Online learning and CC partnerships Apprenticeship programs and other WBL New forms of tuition assistance for coursework/institutions of choice 12

13 BAD JOBS WITH GOOD EMPLOYERS 13

14 WHAT TO LOOK FOR > How can I position myself for economic mobility? > How does my employer view talent? > External educational advancement opportunities > Internal employer commitments around training & advancement > Additional employee incentives such as flexible scheduling, PTO, and volunteer opportunities 14

15 STRATEGIES TO EXPAND JOB QUALITY > Training and skills development > Policy and regulation > Collective bargaining and worker organizing

16 SECTOR-FOCUSED LEVERS > Retail and hospitality Cross-training creates efficiencies Customer income Customer-facing industries value reputation > (Long-term) healthcare Coalition of consumers and payers ACA: Cost incentives for better outcomes