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)
Descriptors: Adult Education, Change Strategies, Demand Occupations, Economic Factors, Economically Disadvantaged, Education Work Relationship, Employer Attitudes, Employment Practices, Government Role, Labor Economics, Labor Force Development, Labor Market, Labor Needs, Labor Supply, Social Services, Supply and Demand, Systems Approach, Welfare Reform, Work Environment, Working Poor
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