Brandynn Holgate

Anybody who has ever been employed can readily list the qualities of a good job. Some are easily identified factors, such as good wages, health benefits, paid sick and vacation time, and a pension plan. Others are harder to measure, such as job security, reasonable workloads, flexible work schedules, workplace safety and health, or being treated with respect. In either case, it’s clear that job quality is something to which every working person pays attention. We should also be concerned about job quality as a society. A society that is characterized by jobs with family sustaining wages and benefits will look very different from one where many people struggle to live on low wages with poor benefits. The effects of low-wages and poor benefits are felt across generations and throughout our society as each family’s economic status is associated with the health, educational attainment, and dependence on public services of its members. Job related benefits—specifically, health care and r...

US retail markets are characterized by consolidation, globalization, and the spread of big-box discounters. What do these trends mean for job quality and workers? For compensation, skill content of jobs, and opportunities for promotion? What role do institutions—regulatory, or representative—play in shaping company strategies, and outcomes for jobs as well as workers? Retail generates a large and growing volume of

Project Hope and the Center for Social Policy conducted an Entry-Level Workforce Investment Feasibility Study in the Spring and Summer of 2010. The primary purpose of this study is two‐fold. First, the study was used to identify and target one or two industries (other than health care where Project Hope has already established employer partnerships and job training programs) which offer entry‐level jobs and begin to establish relationships with potential employer partners. Second, the study synthesized existing data and research to assess the match between the characteristics, interests and skill sets of Project Hope participants and the job opportunities in the targeted industries. This report provides the main findings and initial recommendations from this analysis.

The main objective of this research was to investigative the contribution of Latino immigrant business owners (or entrepreneurs) in East Boston. Twelve Latino business owners in East Boston were interviewed and supplementary interviews with public officials ...