An Equitable Recovery: Our Shared Responsibility
JFF’s Call to Action
The economic devastation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the inequality that is deeply ingrained in our society. JFF calls on business, education, private investment, and government leaders to seize this opportunity and collaborate in radical new ways to support our most vulnerable workers and families.
Together, we can transform our education and workforce systems in ways that create equitable solutions for tomorrow.
We’ll continue to post JFF ideas and insights here across five key areas:

This no longer is ‘business as usual,’ but a crisis. And the livelihoods of millions of Americans depend on our adjusting quickly.”
–JFF CEO Maria Flynn


Create economic mobility through regional and industry partnerships that offer learning, reskilling, and work.
Learn more about connecting the unemployed to opportunities
Report/Research
Redesigning Training Programs for the COVID-19 Era and Beyond
Training and education will be key to helping displaced workers find stable jobs in the post-pandemic recovery, but programs need to be reimagined with equity at the forefront to ensure that they benefit everyone equally.
Post
National Service: A Lifeline for Disconnected Young People
Enlisting the growing number of disconnected young people to create a vibrant national service corps would solve multiple pandemic-related problems at once. One million opportunity youth could help the country—and themselves—get back on track.
Three weeks ago, most places we were dealing with had unprecedented labor shortages. This shift [in the job market] is causing everyone to grasp onto their new reality.
In the News
Maria Flynn in “Anybody Got a Job? These College Seniors Are Sure Going to Need One,” The Hechinger Report
[Graduates are] not just competing with people who are fresh out of college, but also with people laid off from middle-level jobs.
In the News
Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy in “California’s College Class of 2020 Prepares for a Shrinking Job Market”
These unbelievable numbers are masking a lot of the true demand.
In the News
Maria Flynn in “Millions of U.S. Workers Filed for Unemployment Benefits Last Week,” the Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2020
Post
Record Job Loss Heightens Need for Job Centers to Go Virtual
The federally funded job center system needs a massive push to get all services online immediately to support the fast-growing ranks of the unemployed.
Post
As COVID-19 Surges, Help Nursing Students Finish Training Now
With a spike in demand for medical care, state health care and education officials must ensure that emerging talent doesn’t sit on the sidelines.


Shape and influence the most critical policies and investments to help workers and learners weather the pandemic and rebuild a strong economy for all.
Learn more about building an equitable economic recovery
Post
6 Ways States Should Use New Federal Grant to Jump-Start Economic Recovery
The Reimagine Workforce Preparation grants give states an opportunity to design creative strategies for recovering from the pandemic-driven economic crisis.
Post
Recovery Is Not Enough: Revitalizing America’s Promise During and After the Pandemic
We have an unprecedented opportunity to fix systems and policies that were broken long before the coronavirus arrived. It’s time to take bold action and build an equitable economic recovery for all.
Post
How to Move People From Incarceration to Careers
Finding work with a criminal record is hard, let alone during a pandemic at a time of massive unemployment. But there are steps that can be taken now to increase progress in addressing reentry challenges for the future.
Post
COVID-19 Highlights the Need to Support Immigrants Now and Into the Future
It’s time to extend the social contract to the many immigrant frontline workers who are risking their lives during this pandemic. They deserve access to health care, fair wages, sick leave, and other basic rights.
Post
We Must Sustain Apprenticeship in a Post-Pandemic Downturn
One of our nation’s most successful job training strategies is at risk of losing momentum. Supporters must take action to maintain apprenticeship gains if the pandemic leads to recession.
Post
CARES Act Is a Break for the Hardest Hit
JFF examines provisions of the $2 trillion stimulus package that provides relief aid to the students, workers, families, and communities that are grappling with the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis.
Post
COVID-19: Our Shared Responsibility
As the coronavirus pandemic exposes societal fault lines, JFF calls on business, education, and government leaders to look out for low-income individuals and families.
Post
COVID-19: What Congress Needs to Do Next
JFF has five ideas that address the continuing fallout as the nation struggles with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next phase will be to make sure that we are funding the workforce system at the level it needs to be funded.
In the News
Maria Flynn in “What Should a Federal Jobs Bill Do?” an episode of Inside Higher Ed’s ‘The Key’ podcast
The re-employment system can be much more fluid by acknowledging different solutions like digital, credential platforms.
In the News
Maria Flynn in “COVID-19: A Time of Immense Uncertainty,” Working Nation


Galvanize corporate leaders to invest in practices that support employee well-being, security, and economic advancement.
Learn more about mobilizing corporate leadership
Post
Corporate America: This Is Your Time to Lead
In times like these, there is a real opportunity for corporations to step out and up as leaders, using their power and influence to make a difference.
As we prepare for more job loss, one valuable step companies can take is to embrace ethical offboarding.
In the News
Ethical Offboarding Strategies for Companies in the Economic Downturn
Tool
Resource | A Better Approach to Layoffs
Approaches to downsizing that improve the future economic prospects of former employees and foster long-term employee performance, engagement, and loyalty.
The competitive advantage that companies have coming out of [the COVID-19 crisis] is going to depend on their talent.
In the News
Cat Ward in “To Defend Budgets in a Downturn, L&D Must Focus on the Future”


Deploy bold tech innovations, including virtual and immersive technologies, to support workers and learners who have been left behind.
Learn more about driving technology innovation
Event
#ImpactAcceleration Series: Startups Stand Up to COVID-19
JFFLabs is featuring mission-driven startups building innovative tools and resources to help workers and businesses adapt in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post
Record Job Loss Heightens Need for Job Centers to Go Virtual
The federally funded job center system needs a massive push to get all services online immediately to support the fast-growing ranks of the unemployed.
Post
What Happens When Capital Catalyzes Critical Change
ECMC Foundation’s Partnership with ETF@JFFLabs Supports Entrepreneurs Driving Real Outcomes for Adult Learners.


Reinvent the design and delivery of education and training for youth and adults and break down silos between high school, college, and work.
Learn more about reimagining education and workforce development
It’s kind of like the future of work just dropped down on top of us all of a sudden.
In the News
Lexi Barrett in “How Colleges Can Help Educate the 40 Million-Plus Newly Unemployed”
Post
A $2 Billion Lesson in Getting People Back to Work
After the last recession, JFF helped implement a $2 billion federal recovery effort that retrained 400,000 adults for new jobs. In the post-COVID economy, we’ll need more than good programs—we’ll need transformative change.
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As Unemployment Grows, So Grows Our Need to Invest in America’s Workers
The next stimulus package must fund the U.S. workforce development system, whose specialized services will be more important than ever as the economy recovers from the effects of COVID-19.
Post
Let’s Seize This Moment to Reimagine K-12 Education for All
As parents and professional educators, we see systemic inequities in stark relief as we help our kids school-at-home during the COVID-19 crisis. We all must act now.
Post
This Crisis in Learning Requires Lasting Solutions
Strategies to address extensive learning loss caused by COVID-19-related school closures should aim to permanently strengthen educational opportunities for low-income students.
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Public Colleges Can’t Wait Long to Face Post-COVID Challenges
Higher ed leaders trying to serve the needs of vulnerable students must also look ahead to a trio of challenges in a post-pandemic world.
This no longer is ‘business as usual,’ but a crisis. And the livelihoods of millions of Americans depend on our adjusting quickly.