Developing a Pipeline of Diverse Talent into the Public Sector
Nov 16, 2021
Reimagining the Workforce Development System for the 21st Century and Beyond
Technology, globalization, and demographic changes have altered what employers need from workers and what workers can expect from employers. Many Americans no longer follow a straightforward, linear path from education to the workforce to retirement—rather, it is becoming more common for individuals to work while going to school, return to school to get more education or change careers after spending some time in the workforce, or work multiple freelance jobs. RAND Education and Labor researchers are working with education and training institutions, employers, and policymakers to take a systems-levels approach to examining education, workforce development, and employment, and to develop evidence-based policy recommendations to better support workers and employers in the 21st-century and beyond.
Featured Research
Equitable Access to Opportunities for Learning, Training, and Re-Training Throughout Individuals’ Working Lives
RAND Education and Labor researchers are examining how best to provide students with a broad base of fundamental skills, as well as exposure to career and technical education that will prepare them for the world of work. In addition, we are considering alternative funding models that can more equitably distribute costs of continuing education and training among individuals, employers, and taxpayers.
Matching and Re-matching Individuals with Jobs to Which They and Their Skills are Well-suited
Recent graduates often find it difficult to make the transition from school to the workforce, as employers often want to hire workers with previous experience. RAND Education and Labor researchers are working in partnership with employers, education and training providers, and other stakeholders to better-align education and training curricula with labor market needs, and to facilitate the school-to-workforce transition. At the same time, many experienced workers find that their current skills are no longer in need, but there are no clearly defined pathways for them to quickly adapt and acquire new skills. Our work has examined new mechanisms to support greater job and career mobility, as well as the needs of freelancers in the growing “gig” economy.
Workers in the Pandemic
RAND Education and Labor researchers offer insights on the challenges facing U.S. workers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore the latest RAND commentary on labor markets, workers, and employers during the pandemic.
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Recent Publications
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CPS Nonresponse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Explanations, Extent, and Effects December 21, 2021
This paper examines survey nonresponse in the CPS at the start of the pandemic and estimates to what extent nonresponse led to an underestimate of the unemployment rate.
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Widening the Pathway: Implementation and Impacts of Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs Across Three Contexts December 16, 2021
The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the Teacher Effectiveness and Certification (TEACh) program, an alternative training program for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers. TEACh programs seek to train diverse cohorts of high-quality teaching candidates to fill hard-to-staff positions. The authors describe the implementation of TEACh and its effect on teacher recruitment, teacher retention, and student achievement in three locations.
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Gender, Grades, and College Major During the Dot-Com Crash December 14, 2021
Investigates the mechanism behind the gender difference in reaction to the dot-com crash using administrative data on students from a four-year public university.
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Recruiting and Hiring a Diverse and Talented Public Sector Workforce November 16, 2021
To help increase the flow of talented and underrepresented workers into public-sector careers, the authors of this report identify promising strategies to increase underrepresented students' awareness of rewarding opportunities in the public sector and make public-sector organizations more diverse.
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Synthetic Control Estimation Beyond Comparative Case Studies: Does the Minimum Wage Reduce Employment? October 1, 2021
A synthetic control estimator is generalized to estimate parameters associated with multiple discrete or continuous explanatory variables, which are then applied to study the disemployment effects of the minimum wage.
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Equity in Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities August 3, 2021
Inequities in wealth, access to capital, and support networks contribute to significant disparities in entrepreneurship start-up and success for women and racial and ethnic minorities relative to White men. Policies to rectify these inequities could improve wealth accumulation among these groups and revitalize the communities around their businesses, promote equality of opportunity, and boost economic growth.