Good jobs are foundational to a fair and thriving economy and society, yet many workers continue to face low wages, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of stability. As the challenges facing today’s workforce evolve, so must our strategies for designing better work.
In our latest publication, “Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners,” we highlight the strategies leaders across sectors — from CDFIs to workforce development organizations to labor unions and employee ownership organizations — are using to improve jobs and workplaces across the US. These practitioners emphasize the importance of centering worker dignity, voice, and equity and provide important lessons learned about how various organizations can play a role in supporting a fairer economy.
This month’s newsletter also connects these lessons to two upcoming events focused on quality work. We hope these resources offer inspiration and practical insight as you continue your work to build an economy where jobs are fairly compensated, safe, stable, and inclusive.
Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners
The new publication, “Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners,” gathers insights from organizations working on the front lines of job quality transformation. Their experiences underscore the importance of worker-centered approaches, grounded in equity, partnership, and practical implementation. Read it here.
Job Quality in Practice
Fixing Work – Recent Lessons from the Field
📅 July 22, 2025
Join us next Tuesday, July 22, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, for our webinar “Fixing Work: Recent Lessons from the Field,” to hear from contributors to Fixing Work about their thoughts on good jobs, what strategies they use to build them, and the experiences and lessons they have learned in creating change. Register here.
Feeling the Heat: Workplace Safety in a Warming World
📅 July 30, 2025
Explore how extreme heat and other climate challenges are reshaping work. Join us on Wednesday, July 30, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, on Zoom for “Feeling the Heat: Workplace Safety in a Warming World,” to learn about how the warming climate is affecting workers, and what policymakers, businesses, and labor are doing to keep workers safe. Register here.
Raise the Floor and Build Ladders
This brief advocates for workforce development that both raises the floor, improving conditions in low-wage jobs, and builds ladders, helping workers advance to better jobs. It calls on the workforce field to support interventions that promote career mobility while ensuring basic economic stability. Explore the framework here.
How to Build a Thriving Company Through Worker Empowerment
The Aspen Business Roundtable on Organized Labor and Charter’s flagship playbook, “The Shared Power Advantage: How to build a thriving company where workers have a seat at the table,” offers essential strategies for business leaders navigating the evolving landscape of workplace democracy. It guides organizations in fostering collaborative and more fair environments, and by prioritizing worker empowerment, amplifying worker voice, and promoting constructive engagement with labor unions, this playbook equips leaders to build thriving companies where employees have a meaningful seat at the decision-making table. Read the playbook here.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
Join Our Mailing List
To receive occasional emails about our work — including new publications, commentary, events, fellowships, and more — join our mailing list.
Connect on Social Media
For news and updates every day, connect with us on the social media platform of your choice.
Job Quality Newsletter – Reflections Beyond Labor Day
Job Quality Newsletter – Rest is Essential Work
Job Quality Newsletter – Strategies to Fix Work
Job Quality Newsletter — Shared Success
Job Quality Newsletter – Practical Tools for Better Jobs
Job Quality Newsletter – Taking the Lead on Better Jobs
Job Quality Newsletter – Worker Safety
