The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Events and Interviews

In this episode, Maureen Conway interviews Rick Plympton, CEO of Optimax and one of the Aspen Institute's Job Quality Fellows.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous stress on small businesses and  their workers, as closures and new public safety measures have demanded  that business owners shift operations and take creative steps to keep  employees and customers safe. In this extraordinary time, small business  owners are increasingly aware that the wellbeing of their employees is  essential f...

Small businesses have been hammered by the pandemic, and business owners of color have been hit particularly hard. These business owners also faced significant challenges in accessing the Paycheck Protection Program, in part because banks were the primary vehicle for delivering these loans. While people of color are often locked out of traditional lending, Community Development Financial Instituti...

Even before the pandemic, in an allegedly strong economy, workers at the bottom end of the opportunity scale were struggling to support themselves and their families. No single metric is more striking in this respect than the divisions in wealth between men and women, and between white households and households of color. White households have roughly 10 times the wealth of Black households. Househ...

Across the nation, workforce development professionals are making efforts to help workers connect to jobs and provide for their families amidst concerns about workplace health and safety during the pandemic. And the risks to health and safety are not distributed equally. Due to occupational segregation and other factors rooted in structural racism, Black, Indigenous, and people of color are more l...

Questions about the future of work have shifted in this time of pandemic, prompting overdue discussions about workplace health and safety, the unemployment system, health insurance, and fair wages and benefits. What policies can support a thriving future of work? What roles do we want private business to play? And what strategies will build a future of work that addresses long standing inequities...

Prior to the global pandemic, the relatively high small business start and ownership rates among entrepreneurs of color were a bright spot in a period of declining US entrepreneurship. But small businesses have endured some of the hardest stresses of the pandemic, as forced closures and physical distancing have decimated earnings for restaurants, salons, childcare centers, and other services we al...

Restaurants and their workers have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the crisis, food and drinking establishments were an important part of the business fabric in communities across the country, and these businesses employed over 12 million people. But as food businesses lost business, millions of restaurant workers lost work. The most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics...

The pandemic placed the economy into a sickening tailspin. The crisis has brought enormous pain. Can it also catalyze advantageous changes that expand opportunity and equity? Companies can share economic success through various models. Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), worker cooperatives, profit sharing, and forms of equity participation all present different opportunities to share that suc...

The global pandemic has transformed our lives in sudden and unexpected ways. Much is still unfolding, but the available data suggest the economic and human cost of this crisis will be profound. And these costs will not be borne equitably. Our long-standing divides by class, race, and ethnicity are widening as the coronavirus has a disproportionate impact on workers in low-wage jobs and communities...

The global pandemic and economic aftermath place us in a time of unprecedented uncertainty with respect to our work and well-being. Frontline workers are bearing an excessive burden. Despite the vital roles they play in keeping our economy moving, they are underpaid, overworked, and lacking essential health protections. And frontline worker roles are disproportionately filled by women and people o...

For decades, Baltimore’s Marlin Steel has adroitly combined a nimble  and innovative manufacturing production system with a commitment to  their forty associates – offering above average pay and benefits,  employee cross training, and sizable bonuses each pay period for meeting  and exceeding production goals. This good company/good job focus pays  off in dedicated workers...

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our unemployment numbers are simply devastating. Millions of people are suddenly without an income and may be without health insurance in the midst of a pandemic. The human costs of this economic dislocation are profound. What can we do to help individuals who are unexpectedly out of work? We turn to Rebecca Dixon, Executive Director of the National Employment...

For many workers, jobs with low-wages and limited benefits have left them uniquely vulnerable in the context of today’s pandemic. This webinar features leaders from organizations that have worked with vulnerable workers to discuss how they are adjusting to new needs and challenges, a theme we will continue to explore in our Job Quality in Practice webinar series. This conversation features opening...

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our unemployment numbers are simply devastating. Millions of people are suddenly without an income and may be without health insurance in the midst of a pandemic. The human costs of this economic dislocation are profound. What can we do to help individuals who are unexpectedly out of work? We turn to Rebecca Dixon, Executive Director of the National Employment...

Lack of access to quality jobs is a key contributor to widespread economic insecurity and the inability to pursue economic mobility. Race, gender, and place all play a critical role in who has access to quality work and economic mobility. Workforce development has long recognized the importance of a quality job to a person’s life and has well-developed tools and strategies for preparing people to...

To achieve vibrant communities and expand economic opportunity, capital must play a key aligning role. Business lenders and investors, including those such as CDFIs that seek social impact as well as financial returns, are important contributors to the local economy and job creation. But what kinds of jobs are the businesses they finance creating? What kinds of jobs do we want them to create? Can...

By all the usual measures, the US economy is healthy. Unemployment is low, job growth continues to be robust, GDP is growing and 2019 was a great year on Wall Street. But while economic measures indicate a strong economy, too many people’s economic lives are precarious. Stagnating wages, rising expenses, uncertain incomes and limited opportunities to get ahead leave far too many people across the...

This clip features Maureen Conway (Vice President for Policy Programs, The Aspen Institute; Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program), Nick Pinchuk (Chairman and CEO, Snap-on), and Jaime Fall (Director, UpSkill America). The fifth anniversary of UpSkill America is here! At this special event, we look both back at what we have learned about upskilling the last five years and forward to wh...

Upskilling program graduates from across the country and industries will share their personal experiences, how their program helped them, and what advice they would have for other participants and employers who are considering such programs. This clip features Yenis Blanco (Training Manager, McDonald’s), Lisa Gauthier (City Council Member, East Palo Alto, California), Kimberly Vaughn (IT Project M...

What can civic and education leaders do to create an ecosystem that encourages employer and education partnerships that lead to upskilling programs? How do they ensure these programs develop a skilled workforce within a community that will serve existing employers and attract new ones? This clip features Daryl Graham (Senior Vice President of Philanthropy, Strada Education Network), Reg Javier (De...

What is driving large employers to invest in new upskilling programs and what types of programs are they investing in? What is working well and what needs to get better? What advice do they have for other companies? This clip features Eva Sage-Gavin (Senior Managing Director, Talent & Organization Consulting, Accenture), Shweta Srivastava (Director of 21st Century Employability, Microsoft), Va...

This clip features Maureen Conway (Vice President for Policy Programs, The Aspen Institute; Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program), Dan Porterfield (President and CEO, The Aspen Institute), Eva Sage-Gavin (Senior Managing Director, Talent & Organization Consulting, Accenture), and Ellie Bertani (Senior Director and Portfolio Owner of Digital Transformation and Reskilling, Walmart...

Lack of access to quality jobs is a key contributor to rising inequality. Race, gender, and place all play a critical role in who has access to quality work and economic mobility. How can leaders across fields take concrete steps to assess and address disparities in job quality in a regional labor market and improve outcomes for all workers? This is a discussion of how to measure job quality – wit...

While our economy continues to grow, our country’s prosperity is not broadly shared. Although unemployment is low, too many working people still struggle to make ends meet or build enough wealth to provide for a stable life for themselves and their families. How do we create a new economic system that builds prosperity for all, helping to ensure that everyone shares in the wealth that our economy...