Advancing Family-Supporting Employment

Overview

Helping residents get and keep jobs is critical to advancing economic mobility within communities and ensures a city’s economic health and vitality. Moving residents from “just a job” to one that provides a living wage¹ and benefits that can support a family requires coordination and engagement across sectors. This can include municipalities working with a local Workforce Investment Board (WIB)², school districts, two- and four-year institutions of higher education, career and technical education programs, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies and local employers of all sizes. Local government’s involvement in their local WIB is a critical starting point for developing strategies and directing federal and private funding that connects residents to jobs in sectors that offer career pathways³ and are resilient in the face of economic downturns. 

Connecting residents to employment is not a one-time strategy. Rather, it is a continuum that spans from early childhood education, through K-12 and into postsecondary and adult-focused training and job placement programs. It requires long-term cultivation, ensuring that residents can advance throughout their lifespan, especially amongst youth and young adult populations.  

Connecting residents with training services alone will not guarantee their success. Local governments can consider leveraging wraparound services to support residents in completing their out-of-school training (e.g., apprenticeships) and education as well as further support their connection with employment beyond starting a new job. Through this continuum of service and engagement, municipalities are better positioned to create long-term employment opportunities and career pathways for all residents.  

Unique City Roles and Levers to Advance Family-Supporting Employment: 

• Listener⁴ – Engage residents and local employers to better understand their employment wants and needs. 

• Implementer⁵ – Fund programs that provide wraparound supports that allow individuals to secure education or training that will help them obtain a high-wage job. 

• Model Employer⁶ – Engage with businesses and share the story of those who provide more family-supportive programs and policies to their staff.  

• Priority Setter⁷ - Work with a local WIB to ensure that funding prioritizes long-term economic mobility strategies. 

• Policymaker ⁸– Work with a local WIB to ensure that funding prioritizes long-term economic mobility strategies. 

Key Considerations for Local Leaders 

Gaps in Education 

Education and training beyond high school have become vital components for Americans to earn a living wage. Closing gaps exacerbated by the inequities of public education requires a clear understanding about the multiple pathways young people and adults can take to obtain good jobs and ensure that information about opportunities is accessible to them. 

Local government and school leaders can develop and implement a common agenda to address the challenges of creating pathways by building awareness of potential careers that lead to high-wage employment for those less likely to engage in training and education. This can include tutoring and mentorship support for students and stronger connections with employers in targeted sectors through their involvement in summer youth employment programs. In addition, local leaders can request disaggregated data, such as racial makeup of attendees, completion and employment status and wages following graduation, from the local K-12 education system, WIB and training providers on education and training programs. This data can be used to identify racial or gender inequities and to spur action to address them using the actions described above. Local leaders can also engage with alumni and graduates of these education and training programs to learn directly from them, develop strategies, identify promising practices, and highlight successful case studies for future participants.  

Securing Employer Buy-In 

Strengthening relationships with local community colleges and the business community is critical for local leaders seeking to strengthen the long-term employment prospects of residents. Employer involvement in the development of the training curriculum and understanding of employee liability are important steps in not only making sure that the individual selection process and overall training result in individuals securing industry-recognized skills, but also that these individuals can be placed in employment following training completion. In addition, engaging with employers to better understand their staff onboarding is helpful, as this information can be incorporated into workforce development programming to ensure smooth placement for participants. Finally, local leaders can work with city-approved contractors and other close partners to encourage recruitment of residents from training or education programs.  

WIB Engagement and Alignment with City Priorities 

WIBs administer the core workforce programs funded by the federal government, with guidance and oversight from state workforce agencies. WIBs can represent a larger geographical area than just one municipality. They are federally mandated to meet the needs of high-wage in-demand sectors, support workers with the greatest barriers, lead the alignment of regional workforce activities and conduct analyses of high-demand job categories and roles. While some WIBs may perform these activities well, not all WIBs are consistent, and some have weaknesses in some of these areas. Moreover, there can be times when WIB priorities do not align with mayoral priorities related to business sectors of interest and target populations on which to focus funds. Municipal leaders should seek to learn and understand their WIB’s priorities, strengths and weaknesses and work with the WIB board members and the larger workforce ecosystem to strengthen its services in order to maximize the direct federal funds received. 

Work-and-Learn Potential 

A common barrier to increasing education or skills among low- and moderate-income residents is the loss of pay during training and skill development programs. “Earn-and-learn” programs – such as paid internships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training – are a proven solution to this challenge because they allow individuals to earn a living wage while upgrading their skills. While funding and viability of these programs varies across the country, cities, towns and villages can work with local employers, foundations and even the county government to secure funding and develop strategies to support work-and-learn programs that connect residents to in-demand careers. Such programs can also help address other critical barriers for workers, such as transportation and childcare. 

Access to Paid Leave 

Residents need more than just a job to support their families. At times during their employment, residents need time off to care for themselves, someone else or to welcome a new child. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) sets the federal standard that entitles some workers to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave. More than 10 states have passed legislation that builds on the FMLA, providing wage replacement through payroll tax contributions. Similarly, workers may need paid time off to recover from general illnesses, so they don’t risk their long-term health, their coworkers or their community at large. Cities are expanding more robust paid family and sick leave policies for city employees. These policies shape the long-term economic outlook for both caregivers and children. As employers, cities can model and adopt these policies and share their lessons with other employers in their region to showcase their investment in the economic future of residents of all ages.  

Access to Childcare 

Federal and state funding for childcare has not kept up with the high cost of quality care that allows parents or caregivers to work or pursue additional education or skills. In addition, increased pressure on wages has led many childcare providers to leave the profession, reducing the number of locations that parents and other caregivers can access to find childcare. Cities across the country are working to support the childcare workforce and ensure that childcare slots are open for working parents and caregivers. Moreover, some municipalities are working to better align childcare benefits for workers so that they are secured before they start their full-time employment. This can help workers remain in their new opportunities.  

Access to Transportation 

Safe, reliable and affordable transportation is critical for individuals to gain upward economic mobility. Unfortunately, local transportation systems can be disconnected and fail to meet individual needs. Without transportation, individuals are hard-pressed to get to education and training opportunities or to work. Not all municipalities offer or manage a public transit system, and for some residents, there is a significant stigma associated with using public transit. Cities across the country are resolving this challenge by connecting employment hubs with public transit systems or utilizing alternative transportation modes. For example, some cities are creating partnerships that create scooter-sharing or bicycle-sharing systems that address the lack of connection between areas where low-income residents live and employment or training opportunities. In addition, some municipalities are also partnering with nonprofit organizations to create opportunities for low-income residents to secure reliable automobiles that can be purchased with safe and affordable banking products, such as low-interest loans. 

Youth and Young Adult Access to Employment 

Employment opportunities for youth ages 14 to 24 are often part of a municipality’s broader anti-violence strategy, offering them the opportunity to have a paid job with area businesses, local government and nonprofit organizations. This strategy has become common at the local level, but it can lack effective employer engagement to make sure that the youth are accepted into a job upon placement. The length of employment can often be insufficient, with some programs lasting only six weeks in the summer. Furthermore, municipalities sometimes miss opportunities to connect youth employment initiatives with other municipal support programs that can benefit youth just starting out in employment, such as Bank On Cities or children’s savings accounts (CSAs), which are designed to increase the financial capability of youth. 

Solid employment for individuals in this age group helps youth build contacts and social capital, contribute to family support, provide opportunities to try out different job categories, set a pattern for long-term employment and help meet basic living expenses while completing postsecondary credentials. Research in some cities has shown beneficial effects for summer job participants regarding arrest reduction and improved academic performance. 

Strong citywide strategies offer young people a continuum of opportunities, such as summer youth employment, blended work and learning, internships, apprenticeships and targeted attention to Opportunity Youth. Employer engagement is critical to the success of the participants because it helps them gain opportunities to explore a career and understand the expectations for the position and employer at large. It can also create supportive supervisors that provide the space to answer questions and provide guidance. 

Municipalities should consider modeling a youth employment strategy that they would want private and nonprofit sector employers to replicate. A model program may include offering employment in all areas of operations (i.e., not just parks and recreation but information technology or other more advanced opportunities), increasing the length of placement, providing additional supports (such as mentoring, financial education and access to banking) and supporting their transition into employment (where possible) after the engagement period. 

Cities in Action

1. Cities in Action: Miami Summer Youth Employment 
2. Cities in Action: Lansing’s Youth Engagement in Financial Empowerment Programming