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Publications
Low-Income Workers and Their Employers (Research Report) Author(s): Gregory Acs, Austin Nichols This paper finds that about one in four workers, ages 18 to 61, earned less than $7.73 an hour in 2003. Low-wage workers who reside in low-income families with children are substantially less educated than the average worker, are concentrated in industries with low wages, and have limited prospects for wage growth. Many policies aimed at low-wage workers are not well-targeted at workers in low-income families with children, in part because only one in four low-wage workers reside in such families. Nevertheless, policies targeted at low-wage workers may have broad benefits, including improving the lot of low-income families with children.
Place Matters (Research Report) Author(s): Nancy M. Pindus, Brett Theodos, G. Thomas Kingsley Spatial factors and location are often missed, but critical, pieces of the puzzle in developing public and private policies that support working families. This paper summarizes factors determining locational decisions of businesses and workers, as well as local economic growth, and suggests how employer needs as well as opportunities for low income workers might be served by successful policies in the areas of housing, transportation, education and workforce development. There are notable differences in the patterns of work and employment within and across metro areas, implying that there is no single strategy or national blueprint that will work everywhere.
Building Skills and Promoting Job Advancement (Research Report) Author(s): Karin Martinson While many skill-upgrade initiatives are based in the public or private education system, efforts where businesses sponsor or play a lead role in developing training also provide an important venue for skill building. This paper examines why employer-focused training is a promising strategy for boosting the earnings of low-income individuals while also providing benefits to employers. Three employer-focused models with potential for improving skills and promoting job advancement among low-wage workers are examined: incumbent worker training programs, sectoral training programs, and career ladder programs.
Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance and the Low-Income Workforce (Research Report) Author(s): Linda J. Blumberg As the number of uninsured grows, and the share with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) falls, questions arise about the future viability of our largely employer-based insurance system. Significant weaknesses exist in the system, and these are heightened for the low-income working population and their employers. A menu of policy options are available for expanding coverage, and expansions will require a combination: income and health status related subsidies; a guaranteed source for all individuals to obtain coverage; requiring at least a minimum level of insurance; requiring employers contributions; increasing enrollment and retention in existing insurance options; and cost containment strategies.
Meeting Responsibilities at Work and Home (Research Report) Author(s): Pamela Winston Public or private policies to help working parents balance job and family responsibilities are substantially more limited in the United States than in other industrialized nations. This is true for parents in general, but is particularly true for low-income working parents who hold lower wage jobs. This paper summarizes what we know about families' access to supports, employers' experiences, and public and employer efforts to expand them. It explores paid sick leave/paid time off, paid parental leave at the birth of a child, workplace flexibility, child care assistance, and initiatives to link low-income working families with public benefits.
Public and Private Roles in Supporting Working Families (Research Report) Author(s): Karin Martinson, Pamela Winston, Susan Kellam While most low-income parents work steadily, many find it difficult to support their families in jobs that offer few benefits or links to public supports. At the same time, employers are balancing their financial and productivity objectives in an increasingly competitive market. The Urban Institute, through support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, sponsored a May 2007 roundtable bringing together business leaders, practitioners, policy experts, researchers, and advocates to discuss the appropriate public and private roles in supporting working families. This document lays out the salient issues and themes that arose and summarizes the papers that were prepared for the event.
Access to Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance among Low-Income Families (Research Report) Author(s): Lisa Clemans-Cope, Genevieve M. Kenney, Matthew Pantell, Cynthia Perry Lack of health insurance can affect the health and productivity of workers as well as the health of workers’ families, especially for low-income families, who are more likely to have members in poor health. We show that about half of children in low-income families do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). Among the families without access to ESI, public insurance fills some gaps among children, but parents remain uninsured at high rates. For these families, children are twice as likely—and parents are nearly three times as likely—to be uninsured compared to families with an ESI offer.
Mental Health, Work and Mental Health Service Use among Low-Income Mothers (Discussion Papers) Author(s): Pamela J. Loprest, Sheila R. Zedlewski, Simone G. Schaner This paper analyzes how mental health problems impede low-income mothers' ability to work and how health insurance improves access to mental health treatment services. According to data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families, low-income mothers in poor mental health are significantly less likely to work and to work full time than those without these problems. Low-income mothers with public or private health insurance are significantly more likely to receive treatment than those without insurance. Mental health problems are an important barrier to work among low-income women, and access to treatment could be improved through increased health insurance coverage.
Helping Women Stay Off Welfare (Discussion Papers) Author(s): Gregory Acs, Pamela J. Loprest This paper assesses the role of work support programs (specifically, food stamps and Medicaid) and other factors in reducing welfare reentry and promoting stable employment among women exiting the TANF program. Using data from the 1996 and 2001 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, the paper finds that welfare leavers who use food stamps as a transitional support when they leave TANF are less likely to return to TANF and more likely to be stably employed (for the year after exit) than women who do not receive food stamps when they exit welfare.
Hard-to-Employ Parents (Research Report) Author(s): Sheila R. Zedlewski, Pamela A. Holcomb, Pamela J. Loprest Many low-income parents with personal challenges that make work difficult (sometimes called the "hard to employ") seek help from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, but many do not. The most effective TANF programs offer cash assistance along with services that alleviate barriers and help clients find jobs. Other federal-state programs offer help by providing either generic employment services or specialized services that address particular challenges. Hard-to-employ parents probably fare best when they enroll in TANF and receive a holistic set of supports. A redesigned system should marshal all program resources to provide an integrated system that addresses barriers and supports work simultaneously.
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