Economic Opportunities Program Resource Roundup — July 2024 (2024)

Here at the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, we address job quality from a variety of angles, which means we do our fair share of reading. So, this month, we’re launching a new newsletter that offers a selection of resources on job quality that will offer insight into the articles, reports, videos, and more that shape our thinking.

This inaugural edition features reporting from the Washington Post on the threat extreme temperatures pose to workers and a federal proposal to implement heat protections as record-breaking heatwaves increasingly become the norm. In addition, read about the worrying rise in fake job listings, the enduring strength of the skills deficit narrative in workforce development, and a call for a new approach to philanthropy that empowers individuals and respects their agency.

The Washington Post | The U.S. has a plan to protect workers from heat. Employers are fighting it.

This past June was the hottest on record, with tens of millions of Americans placed under heat advisories. Despite the warming climate, there are not yet nationwide standards guaranteeing rest and water breaks for workers exposed to extreme temperatures.

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Center for American Progress | Extreme Heat Is More Dangerous for Workers Every Year – Center for American Progress

For more on this issue, read the Center for American Progress’ report on the effect of extreme heat on workers and the state of policy affecting at-risk workers.

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed heat protections for workers that would increase in strength as the heat index goes up. The Washington Post details what the proposed OSHA rule would do and what it means for workers, especially in the South, where they are at greatest risk of illness and death from heat. Read to learn about the urgency of heat protections as the climate rapidly warms, as well as the pushback from industry. Learn more.

Resume Builder | 3 in 10 Companies Currently Have Fake Job Postings Listed

Anyone who’s found themselves on the job hunt knows the frustration of applying to a position – even being interviewed – and never hearing back. This may well be because employers are posting “ghost” jobs, according to new research from Resume Builder, an online resume creation platform.

Forty percent of hiring managers surveyed admitted to posting fake jobs in the past year. A majority of managers said the reasons for doing so include tricking employees into thinking their workloads will be more manageable in the future and to make them feel replaceable.

Read the full report for more about this worrying practice.

The Atlantic | Why Job Training Doesn’t Work

People trained under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the primary federal jobs training law, do not experience a long-term increase in relative wages, research has found. Trainees often end up in positions with high turnover and little opportunity for career progression.

Writing in the Atlantic, New America’s Kevin Carey argues that these failures are due to a long-standing focus on training workers for “in-demand” jobs, rather than good jobs. He observes that a high level of vacancies in certain occupations may be the result of inadequate wages and working conditions, not a skills deficit among workers.

Read Carey’s essay in the Atlantic on the state of the WIOA system and what can be done to prioritize the voice and wellbeing of workers in workforce development.

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong

The strength of US charitable giving has perpetuated a belief that strategic philanthropy – giving intended to scale nonprofit sector solutions to societal problems – is a sustainable model.

Mark Kramer and Steve Phillips make the case in the Stanford Social Innovation Review that only government action can solve our most pressing challenges, but philanthropy is well positioned to empower individuals economically and in the political system.

For example, philanthropy can support initiatives, like economic facilitation and universal basic income, that lower barriers to economic enfranchisem*nt.

Read Kramer and Phillips’ essay to learn more about their perspective on the limits of strategic philanthropy and the promise of an empowerment orientation.

We hope you enjoyed this curated selection of articles, reports, videos, and more that shape our thinking on economic opportunity.