Understanding the Impact
Table of Contents
Introduction
The 10 Big Ideas
Digging Deeper
- Measure what matters to workers, capturing a full range of job quality indicators
- Center equity in measurement
- Increase mandatory human capital data disclosure
- Link public and private data to gain new insights into the quality of jobs
- Leverage business data to demonstrate the return on investment from good jobs
- Revise data systems to include and support the non-W2 workforce
- Strengthen workforce system metrics to deliver results for workers and businesses
- Use public and private spending to measure and strengthen equity and good jobs
- Strengthen state and local capacity for data-driven decision-making to advance good jobs
- Invest in strengthening job quality measurement
Understanding the Impact
Appendices
Acknowledgements
Participants in the Job Quality Measurement Initiative (JQMI) proposed more than 20 tactical action steps, represented as sub-recommendations within the 10 Big Ideas throughout this report. The table below bundles these proposed interventions by type, and notes the primary stakeholders that need to take action, the implementation timeframe, and the primary impact of each recommendation.
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Ledger |
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● Key Stakeholder – Organization(s) that has primary responsibility or would be required to take primary action ● Timeframe – Short term (Change underway within 6 months), Medium Term (Change underway within 6-24 months), Long Term (Change requires more than 24 months) |
Data Collection Change
These recommendations are centered on maximizing use of existing collection mechanisms by altering or refining how data are categorized, collected, accessed or disaggregated.
| Idea & Recommendation | Key Stakeholders | Timeframe | Primary Impact |
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Idea #2: Center equity in measurement
Uproot harmful assumptions and metrics embedded in workforce and social services systems. |
Department of Labor, Health and Human Services | Medium/Long Term | Close equity gaps in existing programs; Better understand, engage and serve diverse populations |
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Idea #2: Center equity in measurement
Implement requirements for data disaggregation in workforce and social service programs, administrative data, and federal surveys. |
Federal and state agencies | Medium Term | Close equity gaps in existing programs; Better understand, engage and serve diverse populations |
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Idea #1: Measure what matters to workers, capturing a full range of job quality indicators.
Refine existing survey modules to collect targeted job quality data. |
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau | Medium/Long Term | Measure critical job quality elements to inform responsive policy and practice changes |
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Idea #3: Increase mandatory human capital data disclosure.
To leverage existing business data to simplify human capital reporting, implement and maintain a single firm identifier across federal and state systems. |
Federal and state agencies, business community | Long Term | Measure and improve firm-level job quality |
New Data Collection
These recommendations focus on the collection of data that does not currently exist within the U.S. system. It includes both new types and new sources of data.
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Idea & Recommendation |
Key Stakeholders |
Timeframe |
Primary Impact |
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Idea #1: Measure what matters to workers, capturing a full range of job quality indicators.
Broaden job quality indicators beyond wage. |
Federal, state and local agencies, investors, philanthropy |
Short Term |
Measure critical job quality elements to inform responsive policy and practice changes; Increase alignment of worker and business needs |
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Idea #2: Center equity in measurement.
Include worker voice in data collection. |
Federal, state and local agencies, investors, philanthropy and business community |
Short/Medium Term |
Design programs, policies, and jobs that reflect all workers’ needs |
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Idea #3: Increase mandatory human capital data disclosure.
Align on a shared set of foundational human capital metrics and a public reporting framework that could help to shape the evolution of human capital disclosure. |
Federal agencies, investors, philanthropy, researchers, business community and nonprofits |
Short/Medium Term |
Measure and improve firm-level job quality; Increase alignment of worker and business needs |
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Idea #3: Increase mandatory human capital data disclosure.
Collect data to build the evidence base that good jobs are good investments. |
Investors, researchers, and philanthropy |
Short/Medium Term |
Measure and improve firm-level job quality; Increase alignment of worker and business needs |
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Idea #5: Leverage business data to demonstrate the return on investment from good jobs.
Encourage submission of job quality measures through voluntary disclosure tools and incentives. |
Business community, philanthropy and nonprofits |
Short term |
Measure and improve firm-level job quality; Increase alignment of worker and business needs |
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Idea #5: Leverage business data to demonstrate the return on investment from good jobs.
Use data-driven employer scorecards to spark disclosure and a race to the top. |
Business community, philanthropy and nonprofits |
Short term |
Measure and improve firm-level job quality; Increase alignment of worker and business needs |
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Idea #6: Revise data systems to include and support the non-W2 workforce.
Standardize and expand collection of data on non-W2 workers. |
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, International Revenue Service |
Medium Term |
Close equity gaps and improve worker protections; Design programs, policies, and jobs that reflect all workers needs |
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Idea #4: Link public and private data to gain new insights into the quality of jobs.
Centralize, standardize, and expand wage records across all states. |
Department of Labor, State agencies, philanthropy and nonprofits |
Long Term |
Measure critical job quality elements to inform responsive policy and practice changes |
Data Linking
These recommendations focus on connecting the dots between existing federal, state, local and commercial data sets to promote new insights.
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Idea & Recommendation |
Key Stakeholders |
Timeframe |
Primary Impact |
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Idea #4: Link public and private data to gain new insights into the quality of jobs.
Expand access to existing federal job quality data. |
Department of Labor, Health and Human Services |
Short Term |
Expand insights into program/policy impact; Improve responsiveness to worker needs |
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Idea #4: Link public and private data to gain new insights into the quality of jobs.
Aggregate job quality to family level measures so that earnings, benefits, schedules and working conditions of multiple workers are considered. |
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau |
Short/Medium Term |
Ensure families have paths to economic stability and mobility; Better understand, engage and serve all populations |
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Idea #4: Link public and private data to gain new insights into the quality of jobs.
Link administrative and statistical data to better understand the labor market. |
Federal and state agencies |
Medium/Long Term |
Expand insights into program/policy impact; Improve responsiveness to worker needs |
Performance Reporting
These recommendations focus on the standards used for workforce development and social services programs.
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Idea & Recommendation |
Key Stakeholders |
Timeframe |
Primary Impact |
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Idea #7: Strengthen workforce system metrics to deliver results for workers and businesses.
Integrate job quality into workforce program reporting. |
Department of Labor, state and local government, nonprofits |
Medium Term |
Ensure families have paths to economic stability and mobility; Reduce burden and deliver responsive supports for diverse populations |
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Idea #7: Strengthen workforce system metrics to deliver results for workers and businesses.
Standardize job quality performance reporting across social service programs. |
Department of Labor, Health and Human Services |
Medium Term |
Ensure families have paths to economic stability and mobility; Reduce burden and deliver responsive supports for diverse populations |
Capacity Building
These recommendations focus on increasing the knowledge, capacity and data systems infrastructure at the state and local level.
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Idea & Recommendation |
Scope |
Timeframe |
Primary Impact |
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Idea #10: Invest in strengthening job quality measurement.
Invest in the development of job quality data infrastructure. |
Philanthropy, federal agencies, business community |
Short Term |
Increase community capacity to support job quality; Expand job quality knowledge and tools to facilitate the transformation of jobs and communities |
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Idea #9: Strengthen state and local capacity for data-driven decision making to advance good jobs.
Launch an Intergovernmental Research and Analytics Consortium dedicated to advancing good jobs. |
Department of Labor, state agencies, research community |
Short Term |
Increase agency capacity to support job quality; Expand insights into program/policy impact |
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Idea #9: Strengthen state and local capacity for data-driven decision making to advance good jobs.
Build state and local capacity to measure job quality and equity. |
Office of Budget and Management, Department of Labor, philanthropy |
Medium Term |
Increase agency capacity to support job quality; Expand job quality knowledge base and tools to facilitate the transformation of communities |
Procurement and Grantmaking
These recommendations focus on using procurement, purchasing, and grantmaking as a strategic driver of good jobs and equity.
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Idea & Recommendation |
Scope |
Timeframe |
Primary Impact |
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Idea #8: Use public and private spending to measure and strengthen equity and good jobs.
Leverage public spending to measure and advance job quality and equity. |
Office of Management and Budget, Department of Labor, state and local agencies |
Short Term |
Create more good jobs across sectors; Provide equitable pathways to economic stability and mobility for workers |
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Idea #8: Use public and private spending to measure and strengthen equity and good jobs.
Use anchor institution spending to accelerate the creation of good jobs. |
Philanthropy, anchor institutions |
Short Term |
Create more good jobs across service sectors; Provide equitable pathways to economic stability and mobility for workers |
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Idea #10: Invest in strengthening job quality measurement.
Model promising practices for data collection and job quality in foundation grantmaking. |
Philanthropy |
Short Term |
Create more good jobs in the nonprofit sector; Provide equitable pathways to economic stability and mobility for workers |
Based on analysis of the above, we deemed the following recommendations most immediately actionable, most transformative, and most crosscutting:
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Most Actionable: ● Collect data to build the evidence base that good jobs are good investments. ● Invest in the development of job quality data infrastructure. ● Implement requirements for data disaggregation in workforce and social service programs, administrative data, and federal surveys. |
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Most Transformative: ● Leverage public spending to measure and advance job quality and equity. ● Include worker voice in data collection. ● Uproot harmful assumptions and metrics embedded in workforce and social services systems. |
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Most Crosscutting: ● Link administrative and statistical data to better understand the labor market. ● Centralize, standardize and expand wage records across all states. ● Broaden job quality indicators beyond wage. |