Better Care through Better Jobs Discussion

On May 3rd, The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative hosted a conversation titled, “Better Care through Better Jobs:  Improving Training and Employment for Direct-Care Workers”, the second conversation in our new series “Reinventing Low-Wage Work: Ideas That Can Work for Employees, Employers and the Economy.” Low-wage jobs are a large and growing part of the U.S. economy.  In the health care sector, often thought of as a high-wage industry, the direct-care segment, which includes home health aides, nursing assistants, and personal care aides, employs 3.5 million people and is expected to add another 1.6 million jobs by 2020.  These jobs are characterized by low wages, uncertain hours and few if any benefits.  AspenWSI’s series brings a conversation about the nature of low-wage work, the challenges it presents to workers, businesses and the economy, and the opportunities we have for addressing these challenges to the Aspen Institute at a time when jobs and the economy are such critical topics for our country.
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Read an overview of the direct-care workforce in the United States that was distributed at the event