The U.S. Workforce Development and Employment System Needs an Overhaul
Sep 19, 2019
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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Who Helps the Unemployed? Workers' Receipt of Public and Private Transfers September 17, 2020
Unemployment increases the probability a worker receives financial assistance from their family, inclusive of all demographic subgroups.
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Moonlighting to the Side Hustle: The Effect of Working an Extra Job on Household Poverty for Households With Less Formal Education September 17, 2020
To understand who works multiple jobs and its effect on economic well-being, we used the Survey of Income and Program Participation to estimate the effect of secondary earnings on household poverty.
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Is the Rise in Illicit Opioids Affecting Labor Supply and Disability Claiming Rates? September 17, 2020
Examines how the recent transition of the opioid crisis from prescription opioids to more prevalent misuse of illicit opioids altered labor supply behavior and disability insurance claiming rates.
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Parents with an Unemployed Adult Child: Consumption, Income, and Savings Effects September 17, 2020
In this paper, we directly approach the potential costs, inefficiencies, and inequities of aiding family members.
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Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018 September 14, 2020
Seeks to quantify the scale of income gap from 1975 to 2018 created by rising inequality compared to a counterfactual in which growth was shared more broadly.
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The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Changing Nature of Work: Lose Your Job, Show Up to Work, or Telecommute? June 18, 2020
Stay-at-home orders save lives, but the extent to which they threaten livelihoods depends on the nature of one's work. This report examines how much the ability to work from home has mitigated the economic effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The data were collected through the RAND American Life Panel as part of an ongoing analysis of the effects of COVID-19.