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ERIC Number: ED478125
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2003-Apr
Pages: 40
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Changing Labor Markets: A Systems Approach to Reform.
Plastrik, Peter; Seltzer, Marlene B.; Taylor, Judith Combes
A systems approach to changing labor market performance requires a substantial and enduring commitment to the task of change. A systems reform framework has been developed that is based on a dual-customer approach, with a focus on improving labor market outcomes for both low-income people and their employers. The objective is to change the labor market system so that low-income people find and hold good-paying jobs while employers efficiently find qualified workers to fill vacant jobs. This approach rests upon these four conceptual building blocks: the systemic nature of American labor markets, the drivers of labor market systems, the high-leverage strategies for changing the system's drivers, and a process for starting and sustaining systemic change at the local level. Seven strategies have been identified for changing drivers in labor markets--three that operate mainly on the supply-side of the market (increase public financial resources for upgrading work-related skills; restructure education so that it meets employer and student needs; integrate human services, income supports and workforce development) and four on the demand-side (change workplace practices to support low-income workers; restructure government financial incentives; develop portable credentials; create policy-influencing mechanisms for stakeholders). If labor markets are indeed systems, then the seven strategies provide compelling ways to leverage relatively small changes to big results. (Appendixes include11 references and 4 endnotes.) (YLB)
For full text (registration required): http://www.jff.org/jff/PDFDocuments/ChangingLaborMarkets.pdf.
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.
Authoring Institution: Jobs for the Future, Boston, MA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A