Challenges and Opportunities: How Tight Labor Markets Create Mobility Ladders for Workers and Low-Income Families

Unemployment in the United States remains historically low, and today’s tight labor market has translated into improved opportunities for many workers, including those for whom increased wages, benefits, and voice have long remained elusive. Yet inflation is putting significant pressure on household budgets. Economic policymakers have a dilemma on their hands as they seek to balance a white-hot job market against the rising cost of living. What is gained from tight labor markets, for whom, and how should we think about a sustainable equilibrium between inflation and unemployment rates? This WorkRise webinar convened nationally recognized researchers and leaders from the worker advocacy, business, workforce development, and antipoverty communities to consider these and other questions arising from today’s dynamic labor market context.