September 8, 2022
WATCH ON DEMAND
On September 8, the Federal Reserve Banks of Minneapolis and Philadelphia hosted a community development research seminar focused on how the labor market can be made more competitive and supportive of low- and moderate-income workers.
The labor market is a complicated place where workers can have very different experiences depending on the rules, institutions, and employer practices they encounter. The pandemic recession and recovery have highlighted the importance of labor market policies and dynamics, especially as they affect workers’ ability to take new jobs and explore new ways of working.
This seminar explores how the design of the labor market matters for low- and moderate-income workers in particular. Experts discuss their research and its implications for how the labor market can be made more competitive and supportive of workers.
Researchers on the first panel of the seminar focus on how occupational licensing and non-compete contracts affect labor market competition and worker outcomes. Researchers on the second panel explore how the fundamental structure of labor markets affects workers, with a focus on alternative work arrangements such as independent contracting.
Speakers
Panel experts
Susan Houseman
Vice President and Director of Research, Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Morris Kleiner
Professor and AFL-CIO Chair in Labor Policy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Evan Starr
Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
Agenda
2:15-2:20 pm ET
Welcome
Keith Wardrip, Community Development Research Manager, Philadelphia Fed
2:20-2:25 pm ET
Introductory remarks
Neel Kashkari, President, Minneapolis Fed
2:25-3:10 pm ET
Panel 1: Labor market barriers to opportunities for lower-income workers
Morris Kleiner, professor and AFL-CIO Chair in Labor Policy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Peter Blair, Assistant Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Evan Starr, Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
Jane Flanagan, Acting Director, Illinois Department of Labor
Ryan Nunn, Assistant Vice President, Community Development and Engagement, Minneapolis Fed moderator
3:10-3:55 pm ET
Panel 2: The promise and peril of alternative work arrangements
Susan Houseman, Vice President and Director of Research, Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Laura Padin, Director of Work Structures, National Employment Law Project
Emilie Jackson, Assistant Professor of Economics, Michigan State University
Katie Lim, Economist, Community Development and Engagement, Minneapolis Fed moderator
3:55-4:00 pm ET
Closing
Keith Wardrip, Community Development Research Manager, Philadelphia Fed
About the Series
The Federal Reserve Community Development Research Seminar Series is a forum for exploring the intersection of research, policy, and practice in the community development field. The Series expands access to high-quality research that informs stakeholders who are working to support low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color.