Research
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2026 Worker Perspectives Executive Summary
2025 focus groups with low- to moderate-income workers reveal concerns about rising costs, stagnant wages, financial stress, and limited job options. Despite these challenges, participants remain optimistic and pursue better pay, stability, and work-life balance. Find out more.
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Worker Perspectives: Economic context and methodology
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, in partnership with several other Federal Reserve Banks, and Ipsos, studied workers with lower and moderate income in the labor market. This study better informs policies on employment and price stability. The research focused on views about jobs, financial security, and employment expectations.
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Worker Perspectives
For many lower and moderate income workers and job seekers, survival is replacing economic mobility. This research explores how individuals navigate tight budgets and a challenging job market. Despite these obstacles, many spoke of their perseverance in the face of challenges and remained confident in their ability to navigate uncertainty.
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2026 Worker Perspectives Report: When every dollar counts: Inside the economic struggles of workers who earn low to moderate incomes
The Worker Perspectives Report explores how workers are navigating rising costs, limited opportunities, and a challenging job market. To navigate these obstacles they are adapting finances and career plans, while also speaking hopefully about their personal ability to manage uncertainty. In their employment, they prioritize flexibility, work-life balance, and fair pay. Here’s what workers are…
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Worker Perspectives: Key Themes
The 2026 Worker Perspectives Report shows workers face financial instability from rising costs and inadequate wages. This instability limits their economic mobility. They struggle to find quality jobs amid new barriers, yet maintain personal confidence in their ability to persevere in the face of economic challenge despite low faith in the broader economy.
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How the Fed studies and understands housing’s key role in the economy
The cost and availability of housing affect family budgets, labor force mobility, business growth, and the health of the economy. Learn how the Fed studies and engages with communities around vital housing trends, challenges, and innovations.
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Small business strategies for supporting employee child care needs
Small businesses employ nearly half of private-sector workers but often have limited resources to offer benefits like child care. This article examines the prevalence of employer-supported child care and the practical strategies small businesses employ to support working parents.
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Fostering maximum employment: Why the Federal Reserve studies investments in America’s workforce
The Federal Reserve’s dual mandate includes promoting maximum employment. This article features examples of the various ways Fed research, outreach, and partnerships contribute to achieving this optimal state of the labor market.
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Using Qualitative Research to Understand the Economy: A Toolkit
The toolkit offers insights on using community-engaged qualitative research practices gleaned from the Federal Reserve’s Worker Voices Project and shows how others can use these methods in their own work. This toolkit is for researchers, policymakers, employers, and workforce organizations interested in partnering with the populations they serve and elevating community perspectives.
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Worker Voices Special Brief: Self-Employment, Dreams Versus Reality
Worker Voices participants described weighing the tradeoffs of self-employment from the independence it gave to its income generation potential. This research found that participants were pushed or pulled into self-employment for a variety of factors and their experiences did not align with their expectations of this work.