Views on Workplace Quality - What Makes a Job “Good?”

The effectiveness of a workforce program is most typically measured by the numbers of completers placed into jobs. But how do we know if those jobs are “good” jobs that meet the needs and aspirations of the jobseekers served? Do they lead to real advancement opportunities, provide meaning and dignity, build family wealth and economic mobility? 

After conducting a nationwide poll, Gallop concluded that “job quality is similar to health status in terms of how well it predicts overall quality of life, and more predictive than income. Having a good job is akin to being in excellent self-reported health, whereas having a bad job is akin to having poor or fair health.”(Not Just a Job: New Evidence on the Quality of Work in the United States, Gallop, 2019.)

In this program we will explore ways to expand the conversation about the jobs side of the workforce development equation, discussing tools for hearing perspectives on the real efficacy of an employment program and using data to assess job quality. Guests will include JVS Boston and Civic Works.