October 24, 2025 / Economics, Workforce

Fewer Than Half of U.S. Workers Have a Quality JobImage

A new national survey from Gallup, Jobs for the Future, the Families and Workers Fund, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute reveals that only 4 in 10 U.S. workers hold jobs that meet key indicators of quality. Based on responses from 18,000 workers across industries, the American Job Quality Study (AJQS) is one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how people experience work in America, offering data often missing from traditional labor measures.

Researchers define a “quality job” as one that meets thresholds in at least three of five areas: financial well-being, workplace culture and safety, growth and development, agency and voice, and work structure and autonomy. The findings highlight how improving job quality is not only vital for worker well-being but also for business success and economic resilience.

Key data insights:

  • Only 39% of W-2 employees hold quality jobs, compared to 46% of independent or self-employed workers.

  • Job quality varies by region — highest in the West (44%) and lowest in the Midwest (36%).

  • 71% of employees have autonomy over how they do their work, but 62% lack stable, predictable schedules.

  • Nearly 7 in 10 workers feel they have too little influence over their pay and benefits.

  • Half of employees earn at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, and 29% say they’re “just getting by.”

  • Employees in quality jobs report far greater job satisfaction (58% vs. 23%) and better overall health and life satisfaction.

Read the full study here.

January 30, 2025 / Criminal Justice, Economics, Equity

GBPI found disparities across race and income on the ability to pay fines and fees from traffic ticketsImage

Excessive reliance on fines and fees by local governments creates lasting barriers to economic security, particularly for Black Georgians and low-income individuals. The resulting debt can limit access to stable work, housing, and economic opportunities while increasing entanglement with the criminal legal system.

A survey conducted by the University of Georgia’s SPIA Survey Research Center on September 11, 2024, for the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI), collected data to better understand the impact of everyday dynamics and historical discrimination on Black communities, which have led to overpolicing and the erosion of their income and wealth.

Statewide trends:

  • Nearly 15% of all Georgians have been unable to afford a traffic ticket at some point in their lives, with the rate rising to over 20% for Black Georgians and those earning $15,000–$49,000 per year.
  • Black Georgians are more than twice as likely as white Georgians to be placed on a payment plan for a traffic ticket they couldn’t pay on time.
  • Georgians of color are more likely to go into debt or face legal consequences, including criminal records, jail time, and misdemeanor probation, due to unpaid traffic tickets.

Read the full report here.

September 27, 2024 / Economics, Equity

Black-owned Businesses Improve Neighborhood Well-BeingImage

A recent Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative (AWBI) brief outlines how supporting Black-owned businesses can significantly improve neighborhood well-being.

Key takeaways:

  • Black-owned small businesses in Atlanta contribute significantly to neighborhood well-being, including a measurable increase in child well-being scores.

  • Black-owned businesses in Atlanta are disproportionately affected by rising commercial rents, making commercial affordability a significant barrier.

  • There are seven Black-owned small businesses for every 1,000 Black residents in Atlanta, but these businesses earn only $0.17 for every $1.00 earned by other small businesses.

  • The majority of Black-owned businesses in Atlanta have fewer than 20 employees and face challenges accessing capital due to systemic barriers.

  • Commercial rents in majority-Black neighborhoods have increased at a faster rate than in majority-white neighborhoods, contributing to the displacement of Black-owned businesses.

The brief advocates for policies that facilitate access to capital and resources for Black businesses, emphasizing that equitable support can lead to broader community improvements.

Read the full brief on AWBI’s website.

August 22, 2024 / Early Childhood, Economics, Education

The cost of summer child care for Atlanta familiesImage

In June, Atlanta POV asked residents about summer childcare and the related needs of Atlanta families, whether they are being met, and how they impact their budget.

A total of 293 residents from Metro Atlanta responded to the survey, providing key insights to understand how families deal with the costs and planning related to their children’s summer programming.

Key takeaways:

  • Finding adequate child care during summer is a significant challenge for most families.
  • Finding and paying for summer programs for children is an economic stressor for families and their budgets.
  • Workforce participation and productivity of households with children are impacted by the lack of availability and affordability of program options during the summer months.

See the full survey report here.

October 27, 2023 / Economics, Workforce

Findings from Metro Atlanta Chamber’s 2023 Talent Supply ReportImage

The Metro Atlanta Chamber published the 2023 Talent Supply Report, an in-depth study on the supply and demand for skilled talent across the state of Georgia. The report offers recommendations & better practices for closing gaps and improving Georgia’s overall talent supply.

Key findings:

  • Both the supply of qualified workers and the demand for them are up in Georgia, but the gap between them continues to increase for most industries.
  • Most employers hiring for entry-level jobs seek talent with prior work experience.
  • A coordinated, concerted effort is needed to develop a skills-based workforce with the training and certifications necessary to meet Georgia’s ever-growing job demand.

Read the report here.

September 24, 2023 / Basic Needs, Economics, Equity, Inflation

U.S. Poverty Increased as pandemic-era programs endedImage

You may have noticed a drastic decrease in child poverty over the last couple of years. Now, you’ll see a dramatic increase as pandemic-era social safety net programs ended.

Based on the latest report on U.S. poverty by the census, the supplemental child poverty rate more than doubled, from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022.

The U.S. Census Bureau measures poverty in two ways every year. The first, called the official poverty measure, is based on cash resources. The second measure, the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), includes both cash and noncash benefits and subtracts necessary expenses (such as taxes and medical expenses).

The report explains, “Social Security continued to be the most important antipoverty program in 2022, moving 28.9 million people out of SPM poverty. Meanwhile, refundable tax credits moved 6.4 million people out of SPM poverty, down from 9.6 million people in 2021”.

Charts are from The New York Times.

March 1, 2023 / Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Equity, General, Health, Housing, Policy, Workforce

The State of Black GeorgiaImage

“The State of Black Georgia is an educational tool and call to action for Black Georgians, public and private sector stakeholders and the general public that can inform civic engagement, non-profit organizations, elected officials, businesses, policy makers, grass roots organizations, philanthropists, faith-based organizations, researchers, advocates, and other key stakeholders. Together, we can promote inclusive economic development, influential partnerships, and implementation of best practice models that foster overall improvement in conditions for Georgia’s Black residents and the state as a whole.”

From the report:

  • The median wealth of Blacks will fall to zero by 2053 if no action is taken.
  • The percentage of Georgia Black students failing to read at third-grade level was 36%, a 25%
  • increase over the pandemic.
  • Approximately 50% of the inmates admitted in the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2021
  • were Black, yet Black Georgians make up 32% of the State’s population.
  • Fifty-four percent of infant deaths were Black children.
January 25, 2023 / Economics, Equity, Health

Economic inequality is a life or death issueImage

Looking at the factors that contribute to (and/or result from) Atlanta’s ranking as #1 in economic inequality, a clear pattern emerges. The experiences and outcomes of Atlanta neighborhoods are divided along northeast and southwest lines in nearly every way.

When the highest income neighborhoods are living one and a half times longer than those with the lowest income, these inequities are a matter of life or death.

November 29, 2022 / Economics, Equity

Atlanta has the highest income inequality in the nationImage

In not-new-news, AJC’s analysis of Census data shows Atlanta has the highest income inequality among major US metros.

“[M]any Black residents are not seeing the benefits of [strong economic growth], said Janelle Williams, co-founder of the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative. The median household income for a Black family in Atlanta is $28,000, while the median income for white families is roughly $84,000. Overall, Black residents account for half of the city’s population.”

This analysis uses the Gini coefficient based on the US Census Bureau’s 2016-2020 American Community Survey data. “The Gini coefficient measures how equally income is distributed among a population and is expressed in a decimal format ranging from zero to one.”

While the City of Atlanta is No. 1 among cities, “the Atlanta metro area ranks as No. 227 for income inequality, with a Gini co-efficient of 0.4708, significantly better than the New York metro area (No. 39) and the Houston metro (No. 117).”

September 13, 2022 / Basic Needs, Economics, Policy, Workforce

Unprecedented decline in child poverty rates attributed to government safety net programsImage

A new report from Child Trends (also covered in the New York Times) evaluates the biggest factors contributing to the unprecedented 30-year trend of decreasing child poverty. Key findings point to governmental safety net programs as key drivers.

Further, the US Census Bureau released pandemic-era child poverty estimates (through 2021) this week, saying “the new data show the significant impact the expansion of anti-poverty programs during the COVID-19 pandemic had on reducing child poverty.”

Additional recent studies, including from our partners at DataHaven in Connecticut found that food scarcity and child poverty rose after safety net programs ended.

What does that mean for social sector leaders?

First, the scale of government interventions offer opportunities to have the greatest impact. But blanket policies will always leave some households falling through cracks: immigrants, mixed-status and undocumented households, families that are newly navigating human services, digitally disconnected, underemployed, housing burdened, and others. Our role then, is (1) advocate for expanded policies and educate officials of the impact; and (2) find and directly serve the families that are left behind.

Second, the new philanthropic role of counties and cities distributing ARPA funds offers an opportunity, and maybe a model, to (1) build relationships with elected officials and (2) provide guidance in funding and programming decisions that have systemic impacts.

August 7, 2022 / Early Childhood, Economics, Equity

Childhood friendships across economic classes key to upward mobilityImage

In new research from Raj Chetty’s team at Opportunity Insights (published in two parts in Nature and summarized in NYT), a massive analysis of economic and social networks found that exposure to and friendships among people of different social classes is one of the strongest predictors of upward mobility.

The study found that lower socio-economic groups make connections in their home neighborhood and at religious institutions, while higher SES groups tend to make their bridging connections in college. This research builds on their prior economic mobility analysis and development of the Opportunity Atlas.

So what do we do with this information?

Programs, services, policies, and investments that facilitate interactions across diverse economic groups will likely have lasting impacts. Policy level solutions might include inclusive housing and planning decisions. At a more local level, effort might be made to reduce in-school student segregation. Programmatically, even experiential programs outside of participants’ own neighborhood may have an impact.

February 9, 2021 / Basic Needs, Economics, Equity, Hispanic

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The racial gap in liquid assets makes Black and Hispanic families more vulnerable to income fluctuations. When faced with a job loss, Black and Hispanic families have to cut spending more dramatically than White families. Upon the arrival of a tax refund or other stimulus, Black and Hispanic families have to spend it more quickly. Listen to the MAX Workforce Solutions presentation or read the full report (JPMorgan Chase Institute)

January 13, 2021 / Economics, Equity, Hispanic, Workforce

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In a new fact sheet from the National Women’s Law Center, we’ve learned that:

  • Women represented 111% of the 140,000 net jobs lost in December (men gained 16,000)
  • More than 2 in 5 of the 12.1 million women’s jobs lost between February and April have not yet returned
  • The overall unemployment rate among women (6.3%) masks even higher rates for Black women (8.4%), Latinas (9.1%), 20- to 24-year-olds (9.3%), and women with disabilities (11.4%)
August 27, 2020 / Economics, Equity, Workforce

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62% of Black-owned businesses are not prepared to go more than 3-4 weeks without revenue. 96% of Black-owned businesses are sole proprietorships with either 1099 contractors or no other staff, limiting the available support they qualify for. [webinar] (Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative)

August 22, 2020 / Basic Needs, Economics, Equity, Workforce

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“The rapid adoption of remote work and automation could accelerate inequalities in place for decades. Economists say the resulting ‘K’ shaped recovery will be good for professionals—and bad for everyone else.” [article] (Wall Street Journal)

June 9, 2020 / Economics, Hispanic, Workforce

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41% of Black-owned business closed between February and April. 32% of Latinx- and 36% of immigrant-owned businesses also shuttered. (Axios)

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