This info brief from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability explores the crucial role of families in career planning, job search, and job retention of youth with disabilities. The brief discusses ways that families can be involved, including practical tips and suggestions around benefits and supports. Youth benefit from school and workforce programs, but families that consider themselves partners in preparing their children for employment are key to workplace success.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the first federal legislative reform of the public workforce system in over 16 years. It presents unique opportunities to increase the economic opportunities and stability of disadvantaged jobseekers. The state of Maryland became one of only 29 states and 2 territories that opted to develop a Combined State Plan which aligns its workforce and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs across the state, requiring its 12 Local Workforce Areas to design distinct implementation plans responsive to the population needs in each of Maryland’s 24 counties (and Baltimore City). This report, developed through the Office of Family Assistance, details Maryland’s TANF/WIOA Alignment Process.

This report from MDRC, funded through OPRE, is a case study of low-income job seekers in San Francisco. The report shares findings and results from an evaluation of the STEP Forward program, which offers interviews with private sector employers at job fairs. It also offers subsidies for employers who use the program. Among other findings, the results indicated that program participants were more likely to be employed in higher quality and higher paying jobs than the control group.

Social capital refers to the resources and support that people can access by virtue of their networks – from family, friends, and neighbors, to teachers, colleagues, and social services staff. Greater social capital is associated with greater mobility and wellbeing, through access to information, support, and reinforcement of positive norms. It has also been associated with greater resilience, the capacity to adapt positively to risk or adversity. Research indicates that organizations can be a source for helping individuals build social capital through opportunities for peer networking and assuming leadership roles, which may heighten motivation to persist in achieving education and employment goals (Sabol & Chase-Lansdale, 2014). OFA sponsored a webinar that explored how TANF and other social service programs can be a source to help participants build social capital that will support their journey to self-sufficiency.

This article, published in the IZA Journal of Labor Policy, highlights the prevalence of workplace accommodations and how they reduce employment barriers and increase access for people with disabilities. The article finds that people with disabilities that are not working cite employment barriers that could be addressed by accommodations. Additionally, people with poorer health are less likely to get needed accommodations in the workplace. Most importantly, the article highlights that accommodations are positively correlated with continued employment.

This research/policy brief from the Institute for Research on Poverty discusses the decline of prime-age men working or actively looking for work. It summarized how demographic and health shifts have contributed to labor force participation, and that reversing the trend could have significant impact on men’s well-being individually and economic growth broadly.

This report, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, examines a study of “gig work” that included 25 workforce experts from the U.S. and builds on research done in the United Kingdom. Gig work is rising among low-skilled workers, and with it are challenges associated with not having steady hours and income. This report discusses findings and possibilities for workforce bodies to research and assist as the market changes.

In this study from Mathematica Policy Research, women’s criminal records are examined to determine their effects on employment, health, and welfare participation. The study followed disadvantaged women over thirteen years. By simulating behaviors and other trajectories, the researchers were able to find differences between external and causal effects, including policy and choice, of their outcomes in health, employment, and welfare involvement.

This new report, developed out of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, is part of a larger website called the “Good Jobs Project.” The overall project looks at good jobs by industry and occupation, while this report focuses on the trends of available employment across the country, state by state, for those without a bachelor’s degree. It also highlights the shift from blue collar to skilled service industry for this population.

This virtual roundtable, to be convened on December 6 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST, is a continuation of technical assistance around the requirements of the one-stop delivery system's memorandum of understanding (MOU) negotiations as called for under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The goal of this roundtable is to break down silos, bring partner programs to the table, and have a larger discussion on their experiences with local negotiations.