Workforce Management

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Why Health Care Workers Are Striking

More than 75,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente went on strike in early October. While it is unusual for American medical workers to go on strike, there is reason to believe Kaiser is on the leading edge of more labor unrest among care providers in this country.

Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer

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How to Build Stackable Credentials

Many states and colleges are investing to build out stackable credential pathways. It will be important to continue to build evidence on whether these programs are achieving their aims of improved economic circumstances for individuals and better addressing workforce needs.

Lindsay Daugherty, Peter Nguyen, et al.

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The City of Pittsburgh's a Movie Star

Pennsylvania lawmakers and other stakeholders should consider updates to the film tax credit law and economic development strategy to improve the state's competitiveness, enhance the stability of the industry, and fill gaps in the current workforce.

Evan D. Peet @evandpeet

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The Four-Day School Week, AI and Social Media Manipulation, School Safety: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the costs and benefits of a four-day school week, how artificial intelligence is bringing a new era of social media manipulation, the effects of placing police officers in schools, and more.

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A Potential Alternative for Regulating Internet-Based Platform Services

The use of internet-based platform services like Amazon, DoorDash, and Uber Eats is increasing and can be helpful. But the companies that offer these services may be engaging in predatory practices that can harm users and local businesses. Some form of centralized policy action may help; local governments could play a more active role.

Swaptik Chowdhury, Timothy Marler

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Stacking Certificates and Degrees

Evidence suggests that stackable credentials in college are promising. But we continue to see disparities in rates of stacking across institutions, fields, and race/ethnicity. This suggests that states and colleges have more work to do to ensure strong stackable credential opportunities for all students.

Lindsay Daugherty

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In National Security, Autistic Employees Are in the Closet. Here's Why

Archaic U.S. military and federal policies, combined with decades-old understandings about autism spectrum disorder, create an environment where people hide their autism and other cognitive diagnoses. Our national security challenges are too difficult and too important to leave to the portion of the population who use their brains in only “typical” ways.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

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Limiting Access to Reproductive Health Care May Undermine National Security

What signal does revoking policies related to improved access to reproductive health care send to young women who are considering the military as a possible path for them? Given an already concerning recruiting environment, can we really afford to further alienate an entire gender when it comes to protecting our national security?

Kyleanne M. Hunter @KyleanneHunter, Sarah O. Meadows @SarahOMeadows

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An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This

Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

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Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.

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Ukraine's Recovery, Mental Health First Aid, School Staffing: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the trade-offs of Ukraine's reconstruction, the effects of a Mental Health First Aid training program, school staffing challenges, and more.

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Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay. It's Time for Security to Catch Up to Our New Normal

As hybrid work becomes the new normal, workplace practices—security-focused and otherwise—may need to reconsider whether physical presence necessarily improves either security or work outcomes.

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

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Outrage Is Not Enough: Preventing Sexual Violence Starts with a Skilled Prevention Workforce

Preventing sexual assault requires a myriad of competencies including an understanding of the contributing factors so that intervention programs can be designed or adapted to address them. RAND developed a first-of-its-kind tool to assess whether sexual assault prevention practitioners have the core competencies to do their job well.

Joie D. Acosta, AnnaMarie O'Neill

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Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach

The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.

Daphna Bassok, Laura Bellows, et al.

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Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.