![]() ![]() Hosted by the Urban Institute, WorkRise is testing and sharing bold ideas in the workforce. WorkRise is a national platform that’s identifying research insights to transform the labor market, including helping the field better understand what workers want and how to increase mobility through jobs. Interise is a national network that’s building diverse and inclusive local economies by helping small- and medium-sized businesses grow, especially BIPOC-led businesses. ![]() Two of our partners are working to advance economic mobility for workers earning low wages in very distinct ways. Business owners also underscore that providing resources on the job helps strengthen employee performance and those owners often make a personal commitment to give back to employees through mentorship. Even so, they recognize the benefits of investing in their employees and often see that investment as synonymous with investing in their organization’s growth strategy. While most employers agree that raising workers’ low wages contributes to a company’s long-term competitiveness, small- and medium-sized businesses often don’t have the resources to invest in workers and may struggle with cash flow. In addition, businesses led by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) provide eight million jobs, accounting for $1.2 trillion in annual revenue. Small- and medium-sized businesses are pivotal in this regard in terms of improving economic mobility broadly because it’s estimated that they employ over 66 percent of workers with the lowest economic mobility. By better understanding what workers value in a job, business owners are able to consider what they can and cannot provide that will attract and retain talent. The Aspen Institute’s Job Quality Fellows define a quality job as one with wages that cover basic living expenses and create opportunities to build wealth, safe working conditions free from discrimination and harassment and welcoming of ideas, stable and predictable work hours, and a benefits package that facilitates a healthy, stable life. You may be surprised to know that workers don’t always cite pay as the number one factor in considering job quality. Part of this work involves having a shared definition of a quality job. This includes workers of color, women, and individuals whose educational attainment levels are low, limiting their upward mobility over time. ![]() Her quote speaks to the work we’re doing in our Economic Mobility and Opportunity strategy to equip small- and medium-sized businesses with the tools to grow, implement best practices in the workplace, and create quality jobs that advance economic mobility for workers earning low wages. She is growing her business while investing in the future of her employees. She leads High Water, LLC, a Native American woman-owned environmental consulting company in Bernalillo, New Mexico, with a specialty in water resources. I get excited about the vision of small business owners like Phoebe. What are their goals and how can their goals help the company and, in a sense, help them too.” “ I’m encouraging the growth of the company but also looking at the individuals as well.
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