Quality Jobs Initiative
Helping companies thrive by improving job quality for workers and boosting performance.
70%
70%
of employee turnover is related to factors beyond pay and benefits
Quality Jobs Boost MoraleReduce TurnoverCreate Prosperity
In 2021, the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative (CWWC) launched the Quality Jobs Initiative to define and promote Quality Jobs in our region. This effort reflects a commitment to valuing work and fostering economic opportunities that support workers, businesses, and communities.
The initiative establishes regional guidelines for identifying quality jobs and provides resources for public and private partners to break down barriers and leverage unique funding opportunities to fuel regional growth of quality jobs. A simple principle lies at the heart of the Quality Jobs Initiative: good jobs—offering competitive wages, benefits, predictable hours, training, and advancement opportunities—benefit both workers and businesses.
To develop the Quality Jobs Framework, the CWWC engaged cross-sectoral partners, including businesses, workers, labor organizations, service providers, and government agencies. The initiative prioritizes creating opportunities for workers who are low income, unemployed, underemployed, and receiving public assistance, who are disproportionately subject to low wages, poor-quality working conditions, and a lack of quality career pathways.
What is a Quality Job?
To increase employee retention and boost performance, a Quality Job includes a combination of the following characteristics:
Jobs that provide or have structured career pathways to wages that ensure a decent standard of living, aligning with established self-sufficiency standards that account for family composition and cost of living.
Jobs that include pathways for skill-building, career progression, and access to professional development and training programs for current workers.
Jobs that offer essential benefits that enhance economic security and overall well-being, such as healthcare, child care, transportation, wellness programs, and retirement savings options.
Jobs that provide predictable and consistent schedules and offer reasonable scheduling accommodations and flexibility to increase retention.
Key Results
With the framework in place, implementing Quality Job strategies in our region is our current focus. To date: