Low-Wage Jobs Must Be Improved, PHI and Foundations Write
In a letter to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, PHI President Steven Dawson, F.B. Heron Foundation President Clara Miller, and John A. Hartford Foundation Executive Director Corinne H. Rieder write that the quality of low-wage jobs — including direct-care jobs — must be improved.
“Many of the jobs our economy is creating today offer only part-time hours, few benefits, little training — and less respect,” the authors write.
The letter (pdf) points out that the number of clerical, restaurant, retail, and health care jobs in the U.S. is set to skyrocket in the next few decades — particularly home care jobs, which will increase by 70 percent by the end of the decade.
The authors advise foundations, policymakers, and workforce specialists to concentrate on making these “bad jobs better. In addition to building ladders for the few, raise the floor for many.”
The letter is a response to an April 2012 Chronicle of Philanthropy article about low-wage jobs.
– by Matthew Ozga
