Jennifer Oddo’s Post

"...two flawed assumptions about what makes workforce development successful: that it must be employer-led and must address “skills gaps'' among individual workers. Neither assumption is evidence-based..." Yes! In all my research on #sectorstrategies, being employer-led was not the secret to success, if we define success as connecting people to #goodjobs. For example, "Tuning in to Local Labor Markets" documented significant impacts on worker earnings from programs that have a deep connection to their communities, and a strong practice of listening to workers and representing their interests. These orgs were intentional about changing industry practices--about who they hired, how they hired, and how they support workers--not just accepting business as usual. Yes, these organizations were also intentional about equipping workers with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed at work, but in an era of ever-growing precarious work and employers who struggle to attract workers because of the low quality of their jobs, we need to recognize that "skills gaps" doesn't even come close to explaining our labor market challenges. A pleasure working with Mary Alice McCarthy, PhD, Adam Shah, Ali Bustamante, Emily Andrews, Laura Dresser, Teofilo Reyes, Kayla C. Elliott, Deborah Schwartz, Elizabeth Royal and other members of the #GoodJobs Collaborative to advance a vision for a #workforcedev system that strengthens #jobquality and contributes to an economy in which all can thrive. https://lnkd.in/dPQFqkxa

I am preparing to head to DC (as Director of the Ohio Workforce Coalition) and I will be carrying this work with me! I’ve long wanted to see my field grapple with our role in perpetuating these false narratives of skill building and employer deference being the lead answers to workforce issues. I’m grateful to Clair Minson, LCPC (she/her) who blogged that Our Field Needs a Reckoning, and to leaders like Grace Heffernan who have refused to accept business as usual and Hannah Halbert who's been questioning the skills gap for over 10 years. In particular, Clair's post outlines how these failings disproportionately affect Black and brown workers economically, and how employers can begin to correct these wrongs. This work shows that we can have impact if we choose to. We can choose to do our work differently. We can choose to say no to blaming skills for poor workplace conditions. We can choose to incentivize job creation and retention efforts in ways that foster meaningful partnerships with communities. We can choose to support the employers who are actually investing in workers rather than structuring their business model around worker churn. We can choose to invest in grassroots efforts and the on-the-ground work of reclaiming worker power in an equitable way (which means some of us need to step aside). The question is, are we willing to do so?

Here are three thoughtful reviews of proposed changes under the new workforce bill (A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) that replaces the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): 1) https://lnkd.in/ehTJetEi 2) https://lnkd.in/eDqh6Qaj 3)https://lnkd.in/eZXsUkyi Doug Hall noted an interesting discussion on workforces podcast this morning co-hosted by Julian Alssid and Kaitlin LeMoine. "We have a lot of people that need work. And we have a lot of work that needs to get done." said Chike Aguh, senior advisor at theThe Project on Workforce at Harvard and senior fellow at The Burning Glass Institute. To address these problems, Aguh argues we first need to answer five key questions: 1. What, precisely, is the work of the future, not just in terms of sectors, but in terms of occupations and what those occupations include? 2. How do we train people for that work? 3. How do the work and the worker find each other? 4. How do we support people when they fall out of the labor market or want to change in the labor market? 5. How do we make sure that while someone is on the job, they are respected, protected, dignified, and advancing? I would like to recommend that we back up a bit and look at the education systems and discuss how we help young people find their skills strengths...and introduce them to how they can sell that skill in the employment marketplace. Knowing what the jobs will be, to my mind, is not as important as helping people ADAPT to an ever-changing employment outlook by understanding how to capitalize on their knowledge, skills and abilities and to harness those for future opportunities through continuous (lifelong) learning. When we teach people to own their marketable skills and to take ownership of their future, we create, not a helpless, hapless service class - but a society that endeavors to reach for their own potential...letting nothing hold them back. I believe in workforce development...but it is a "catch-all" social services institution that begs employers to "take workers" rather than working with education to produce what employers would beg to take.

The number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs has fallen to the lowest level in over three years, signaling that workers are more cautious in a cooling labor market. Reasons for this may include fewer job openings and wage increases. However, available jobs still outnumber the 6.3 million Americans who are counted as unemployed and looking for work, so if you are looking for a new job in 2024, reach out to us today for expert insights into securing the perfect role for you! #equiliem #StaffingIndustryInsights #LaborMarketTrends

The number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs has fallen to the lowest level in over three years, signaling that workers are more cautious in a cooling labor market. Reasons for this may include fewer job openings and wage increases. However, available jobs still outnumber the 6.3 million Americans who are counted as unemployed and looking for work, so if you are looking for a new job in 2024, reach out to us today for expert insights into securing the perfect role for you! #equiliem #StaffingIndustryInsights #LaborMarketTrends

💡 About 27 percent of U.S. workers quit their jobs in 2023, costing employers nearly a trillion dollars to replace them, according to a common turnover calculation. And turnover is expected to climb as labor market experts are predicting a Great Resignation 2.0 in the near future. 💡 “The retention and engagement of employees has never been more important,” said Danny Nelms, the CEO of Work Institute, a research and consulting firm in Franklin, Tenn. “In historical terms we remain in an employee retention crisis,” he said, citing that the national quit rate has increased 37 percent since 2014. 💡 Work Institute’s analysis of over 21,000 exit interviews across 175 companies from a range of industries in 2023 reveals workers’ preferences and expectations about work. 💡 The top three reasons for leaving a job are lack of career opportunities or development, health and family issues, and a work/life imbalance.

The number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs has fallen to the lowest level in over three years, signaling that workers are more cautious in a cooling labor market. Reasons for this may include fewer job openings and wage increases. However, available jobs still outnumber the 6.3 million Americans who are counted as unemployed and looking for work, so if you are looking for a new job in 2024, reach out to us today for expert insights into securing the perfect role for you! #equiliem #StaffingIndustryInsights #LaborMarketTrends

Brian McGee recently shared this article with the team and shared his thoughts. Do you agree? What is the climate of employee retention, and how is it impacting the economy? "Interesting subjective conclusions are drawn in this article, but I wonder if there are other factors at play on the employee retention front. Over the past few years, when the leverage shifted to the workers from the large corporations (hence the relative success of the UAW strike and others), employers (like our portfolio companies) researched and implemented new practices to improve retention. It’s reasonable to assume increasing pay, focusing on training for continued growth of the employees, and increasing the focus on employee safety likely has made a lot of employees happier without the added stress of changing jobs.   The knock on effect is that you have better trained, longer tenured workers who are happy to stay, and are far more productive than new hires. In crisis, the good companies adapt, and many times positive changes are made that benefit all constituents." https://lnkd.in/e4T6cmth

The number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs has fallen to the lowest level in over three years, signaling that workers are more cautious in a cooling labor market. Reasons for this may include fewer job openings and wage increases. However, available jobs still outnumber the 6.3 million Americans who are counted as unemployed and looking for work, so if you are looking for a new job in 2024, reach out to us today for expert insights into securing the perfect role for you! #equiliem #StaffingIndustryInsights #LaborMarketTrends

The number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs has fallen to the lowest level in over three years, signaling that workers are more cautious in a cooling labor market. Reasons for this may include fewer job openings and wage increases. However, available jobs still outnumber the 6.3 million Americans who are counted as unemployed and looking for work, so if you are looking for a new job in 2024, reach out to us today for expert insights into securing the perfect role for you! #equiliem #StaffingIndustryInsights #LaborMarketTrends