ABSTRACT
Many U.S. workers are not returning to workplaces as the pandemic recession eases. Employers in many sectors and most regions of the country are having great difficulty securing the talent that they need. The causes of this phenomenon are many: concern about workplace safety, limited childcare options, and accumulated financial cushions, to name just a few. American workers are frustrated with the quality of their jobs and are not willing to go back to the conditions they faced prior to the pandemic. The decline in job quality dates to the early 1970s when the social contract between labor, employers, and the government began to fragment in multiple ways. The workforce development field has a “once in a generation” opportunity, in a time of very tight labor markets, to use a sophisticated definition of job quality and a related set of strategies and tactics that can provide workers with better quality jobs and employers with the talent they need to succeed. This essay details JVS Boston’s job quality strategy, definitions, tools, and policy advocacy and how they are used to improve job quality.
