As the COVID-19 recession continues, millions of people have lost their jobs and face potential long-term unemployment. Policymakers and practitioners looking to address this are turning to workforce training and development programs to help workers rebuild their skills. Yet, training programs that do not address underlying labor market power dynamics between employers and workers may perpetuate wage, income, and other labor market inequities.

Join the Roosevelt Institute and WorkRise to explore this issue with economists Suresh Naidu and Aaron Sojourner as they present “Employer Power and Employee Skills: Understanding Workforce Training Programs in the Context of Labor Market Power,” new research analyzing how workforce training and development programs can be designed and structured to address labor market power dynamics and increase worker power. They will be joined by leaders in industry, labor, and workforce development to discuss their findings and implications for the workforce development field.

Panelists:

• Suresh Naidu, Fellow, Roosevelt Institute, Professor in Economics and International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
• Aaron Sojourner, Associate Professor, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
• Amanda Cage, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fund for Workforce Solutions; Member, WorkRise Leadership Board
• Lenore Friedlaender, Assistant to the President, 32BJ SEIU
• Howard Rothschild, President, Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations
• Elisabeth Jacobs, Acting Executive Director, WorkRise; Senior Fellow, Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population, Urban Institute