Giving Compass' Take:

• The Aspen Institute publishes an excerpt from a book called Investing in America’s Workforce that recommends way to improve the quality of work, including establishing more social supports and better public policy.

• What roles can nonprofits play in this area? The thesis here is that vocational training isn't enough — we must take a more holistic approach.

• Here are three simple ways to create a better world at work.

American families rely on their earnings from work. On average, wage and salary income constitutes more than three quarters of income for households in the US, with retirement income and self-employment income being a very distant second and third in terms of contribution to household income. But decades of slow wage growth combined with more rapidly increasing costs of major expenses such as health care, housing, and higher education have left households in a budgetary bind, making their economic lives increasingly difficult and uncertain. This situation is unsustainable, and demands strategies that can improve the quality of work. Here are three major points, covered in “Strategies to Advance Job Quality”, a chapter from the forthcoming book Investing in America’s Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers.

There is no one solution — multiple strategies are needed. Public policy, business practice, education and training, social supports, and access to capital and credit all have a role to play.

Better jobs can make for better business. Innovative businesses are already reimagining low-wage jobs to make them more rewarding for workers and better for their businesses.

Government has a role to play. Governments play key roles in local labor markets—as regulator, as major purchaser of goods and services, as benefits provider. All of these roles can be envisioned with an eye toward encouraging inclusive economies with quality work and shared prosperity.

Read the full article about strategies to advance job quality by Maureen Conway at The Aspen Institute.