In June 2021, the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative (CWWC) – comprised of Worksystems, Workforce Southwest Washington, and Clackamas Workforce Partnership – embarked on a process to define what a quality job means for the region. A Quality Jobs Framework (Framework) was developed in partnership with a cross-section of partners representing business, workers, organized labor, service providers and government agencies that creates the foundation to create and support quality jobs throughout the region.
The Framework is part of the Quality Jobs Initiative, an effort to seek a regional approach to defining quality jobs, providing guidance to employers to encourage the creation of quality jobs, identifying resources to support employers and their workforce needs, and developing actions and implementation steps to advance quality jobs.
What is a Quality Job?
Under the Framework, a quality job has the following characteristics:
The CWWC firmly believes in the value of work and the shared benefits afforded to workers, businesses, and the region’s communities through good, high-quality jobs. CWWC created the Quality Jobs Initiative (Initiative) to address long-standing inequities including lack of access to good jobs and careers that allow people to support themselves and their families, and which perpetuate economic disparities. Through this work, CWWC seeks to increase the number of quality jobs and improve the regional economy for all. CWWC believes that quality jobs are not an issue for social services alone, but also a business imperative. Good, high-quality jobs – ones with competitive wages and benefits, predictable hours, necessary training, and opportunities for advancement – are good for business.
Importantly, CWWC will center Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color; individuals with disabilities; immigrants; women; and individuals experiencing poverty who are disproportionately subject to low wage, and poor-quality working conditions.
To learn more about the Quality Jobs Initiative, contact Jesse Aronson, Worksystems’ WorkSource Services Manager, at jaronson@worksystems.org.
The CWWC is a partnership between the Portland-Southwest Washington Metropolitan region’s three workforce development boards – Workforce Southwest Washington, Clackamas Workforce Partnership, and Worksystems. CWWC participates in regional workforce and economic development planning to serve industry and direct public workforce dollars to develop a regional talent pool and strong economy.
