Challenge

The importance of job quality became clear amid the economic upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and during the ensuing Great Resignation, but signs of an overall decline in job quality had emerged much earlier. Low-quality jobs cause chronic feelings of economic insecurity for the people who hold them, imposing constraints on employers, industries, and the economy as a whole. For example, low-quality jobs are often associated with high turnover rates, which are costly to employers. And because these jobs tend to pay low wages, the purchasing power of a large segment of the population is limited, curbing demand for goods and services and thereby limiting the potential for economic growth. 

Approach

Funded by the federal American Rescue Plan, the Good Jobs Challenge has awarded a total of $500 million in grants to 32 regional workforce partnerships that are using the funds to develop industry-led training programs with the goal of placing 50,000 U.S. workers into quality jobs. 

JFF is proud to partner with the U.S. Economic Development Administration in the program as leader of the challenge’s national Community of Practice. We support the regional workforce partnership grantees in building professional networks, engaging in peer learning, and sharing best practices through technical assistance to ensure their projects support equitable economic advancement.  

Beyond this work, JFF developed the Quality Jobs Framework, which lays out an approach to creating jobs that all workers deserve—not just a living wage and good benefits but also stability, flexibility, autonomy, and career advancement opportunities. 

Results

We have provided individual coaching to each grantee, hosted a variety of in-person and virtual events to foster collaboration, and made connections to external subject matter experts to ensure that they have the resources they need to succeed. The Good Jobs Challenge will continue until 2026. 

This webpage was prepared by Jobs for the Future (JFF) using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070094 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.