Jobs & The Economy
ALL JOBS & THE ECONOMY REPORTS
Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Significant, but Insufficient
A college degree is an important first step for many to pursue their dreams. Unfortunately, this dream is increasingly out of reach for many students from low-income backgrounds, including students of color and non-traditional students.
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That’s A Relief Part II: Federal Fiscal Relief for Community Development in the CARES Act
Read That’s A Relief Part I: Federal Fiscal Relief to Massachusetts in Recently-Passed Legislation here. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act,” or “C3”), provides substantial federal fiscal relief for the states, benefits to certain businesses, as well as direct payments to individuals suffering hardship due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic disruption.[1] This funding includes $5 billion total nationally for community development funding, including funding to municipalities for a wide variety of local programs, funding for housing assistance and to prevent homelessness, and more. Listed below are estimated funds from the CARES Act that will be available to ...
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Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: Filling Gaps in Federal Cash Support for Individuals and Families
Congress enacted billions of dollars in new direct cash assistance to individuals and families during the crisis, but there's still work to be done to ensure people are not left behind. Learn what state-level solutions are available to fill the gaps.
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Testimony to the Economic Roundtable: We must ensure collective well-being and economic security in the Commonwealth
Read the full testimony from our President, Marie-Frances Rivera, for the Massachusetts Legislature's April Virtual Economic Roundtable, originally scheduled for April 7, 2020.
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Spotlight on Equity: Testing and Treatment for Everyone, Regardless of Income, Health Insurance Coverage, or Immigration Status
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic exposes disparities in our health care system. It also highlights how interconnected we are to each other. Now, more than ever, as we work to flatten the curve of this epidemic, we need to consider the health and wellbeing of our neighbors who may feel unsafe or unsure about accessing medical care. This includes people who may see care as unaffordable, fear deportation, and those experiencing homelessness. Through MassHealth, our state’s Medicaid program, Massachusetts provides health insurance to nearly 1.8 million people, including about half the state’s children. In an effort to provide a ...
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Unemployment Insurance 101
What’s Unemployment Insurance? The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a state-federal partnership to provide cash assistance to people who may lose their job or can’t find work for reasons out of their control. By state-federal partnership, we mean that the federal government supports and sets parameters for state governments to provide benefits to protect eligible workers. In times of economic insecurity, like the ones we are facing today, the federal government typically steps in to provide more support to states, including allowing states to borrow money from the federal government to stay afloat. This enables states to provide greater access ...
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How Should Mass. Respond to the COVID-19 Crisis?
We Must Provide Robust Economic Relief and Recovery for Vulnerable Populations and Children in Massachusetts Policy is the lever that we can pull to bring collective well-being and economic security to the Commonwealth. We are in an unprecedented moment, one which is bringing our interconnectedness into stark focus. A moment in which our public goods are being put to the ultimate test. A moment which is asking each of us to answer the following questions: How do we best take care of one another? And how do we ensure that no one is left behind? Government exists for this very moment. It is imperative ...
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Driver’s licenses for immigrants without status – how would it affect Massachusetts?
This series of briefs examines the potential effects of licensing undocumented drivers in Massachusetts. The briefs look at the effects on public safety, child health, law enforcement efficiency, and the economy and state finances.
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Impact of the Increase in the Massachusetts Minimum Wage to $12.75
These infographics show the impacts of the increase in the Massachusetts minimum wage on January 1, 2020, from $12 to $12.75 per hour.
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Massachusetts Poverty Rate and Median Income Improved in 2018, but Not by Enough
The United States is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in its history, following the Great Recession with sustained recovery. Massachusetts' economy today exemplifies this, highlighted by continued job growth and a very low unemployment rate that is consistently below the national level. If a rising tide lifts all boats, we should see all Massachusetts residents benefiting, but this isn't the case.
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Shifting the Balance: How a Massachusetts “Fair Workweek” Law Can Protect Workers and their Families from Unstable Schedules
As laid out in a companion report, Wrong on Schedule: How Unstable Scheduling Hurts Massachusetts Workers and their Families, employers in low-wage service industries like food service and retail often change or cancel hourly workers’ shifts at the last minute, and these schedules can fluctuate wildly from one period to another. Many employers force their staff to work consecutive shifts with little time for rest in between, including so-called “clopening” shifts — in which someone closes a store or restaurant at night and has to open it the next morning. And most workers have no say in their schedules. All ...
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Wrong on Schedule: How Unstable Scheduling Hurts Massachusetts Workers and their Families
Over the next several years, Massachusetts will see more job openings in hourly retail and food service positions (salespersons, cashiers, fast food workers, and wait staff) than in almost any other occupation. For workers paid by the hour, time, as the saying goes, is money -- literally. That means they need to count on stable, sufficient, and predictable schedules, which allow them to earn a decent living, and have time to take care of themselves and their families.
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Infographic: Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as #LatinxHeritageMonth (running Sept. 15-Oct. 15), our infographics analyze the number of eligible Hispanic tax filers per county that could or already benefitting from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
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Concentrated Poverty Snapshot
Nearly 90,000 children in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are living in concentrated-poverty. What is the long-term effect on our children and our communities? Read the full snapshot, and stay tuned for our upcoming analysis on the issue.
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