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Evidence matters. Find policies, programs, and systems changes that are a good fit for your community priorities.

Income, employment and wealth

Employment is the condition of having paid work, which provides income and often benefits such as health insurance and paid sick leave. Employment, and the income and benefits it provides, shape our choices about housing, child care, medical care and more. Wealth, or the accumulation of assets, makes it easier for people to manage job changes, emergencies, education costs and retirement. As employment, income and wealth increase or decrease for individuals, families and communities, so do opportunities for health.

Reviewed income, employment and wealth strategies are listed below. Click on column headings to sort by strategy, approach, evidence rating, or short description. Click on the strategy name for more information.

45 results (44 unique strategies)

Strategy ↑↓ Health Topic ↑↓ Approach ↑↓ Evidence Rating ↑↓ Short Description ↑↓
Flexible scheduling Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Scientifically Supported

Offer employees control over an aspect of their schedule through arrangements such as flex time, flex hours, compressed work weeks, or self-scheduled shift work

Labor unions Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Scientifically Supported

Organize workers to bargain collectively for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions

Paid family leave Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Scientifically Supported

Provide employees with paid time off for circumstances such as a recent birth or adoption, a parent or spouse with a serious medical condition, or a sick child

Broadband initiatives for unserved and underserved areas Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Some Evidence

Expand broadband availability and adoption in unserved and underserved areas through initiatives that address infrastructure and cost barriers

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Some Evidence

Provide confidential worksite-based counseling and referrals to employees to address personal and workplace challenges

Paid sick leave laws Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Some Evidence

Require employers in an affected jurisdiction to provide paid time off for employees to use when ill or injured

Telecommuting Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Some Evidence

Allow employees to work outside a central office, using technology to interact with others inside and outside the organization; also called remote work, telework, or flexible working arrangements

Workplace supports for breastfeeding Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Some Evidence

Support breastfeeding via private, well-equipped lactation spaces in workplaces, along with breastfeeding breaks, flexible schedules, professional lactation support, etc.

Rural transportation services Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Expert Opinion

Establish transportation services for areas with low population densities using publicly funded buses and vans on a set schedule, dial-a-ride transit, volunteer ridesharing, etc.

Job-sharing programs Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Insufficient Evidence

Offer flexible working arrangements, allowing the duties of a single full-time position to be covered by two part-time employees

On-site child care Income, employment and wealth Create supportive work environments Insufficient Evidence

Provide employees with child care options at work; care may be provided free of charge, partially subsidized as part of an employee benefit package, or offered at market rates

Labor unions Income, employment and wealth Ensure workplace safety Scientifically Supported

Organize workers to bargain collectively for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions

Child care subsidies Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Scientifically Supported

Provide financial assistance to working parents, or parents attending school, to pay for child care

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Scientifically Supported

Expand refundable earned income tax credits for working individuals and families with low to moderate incomes

Full child support pass-through and disregard Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Scientifically Supported

Adopt policies that allow custodial parents who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to collect all child support paid by the non-custodial parent; no portion is retained by the state

Living wage laws Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Some Evidence

Establish locally mandated wages that are higher than state or federal minimum wage levels

New Hope Project Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Some Evidence

Provided work supports for low income individuals and families (e.g., job search assistance, transitional jobs, subsidized child care, health insurance, etc.); participants worked at least 30 hours/week

Unemployment insurance (UI) Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Some Evidence

Increase compensation provided to unemployed workers looking for jobs by expanding eligibility, amount, or duration of benefits

Child tax credit expansion Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Expert Opinion

Expand federal or state child tax credits by increasing credit amounts, making credits refundable, decreasing or eliminating the earnings threshold, or creating a fully refundable supplement

Refundable child and dependent care tax credit Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Expert Opinion

Offer a refundable tax credit to working families with qualifying children or other dependents that receive care outside the home (e.g., a spouse with disabilities)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Expert Opinion

Explore ways to increase Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program benefit amounts for aged, blind, or disabled individuals, including children, with little or no income

Universal basic income Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Expert Opinion

Provide all individuals with regular cash transfers, without conditions, over their lifetimes

Minimum wage increases Income, employment and wealth Increase or supplement income Mixed Evidence

Increase the lowest hourly, daily, or monthly compensation that employers may legally pay to workers

Adult vocational training Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Scientifically Supported

Support acquisition of job-specific skills through education, certification programs, or on-the-job training, often with personal development resources and other supports

Transitional and subsidized jobs Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Scientifically Supported

Establish time-limited, subsidized, paid jobs to help individuals with barriers to employment transition to unsubsidized employment

High school equivalency credentials Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Some Evidence

Offer programs to help individuals without a high school diploma or its equivalent achieve a high school equivalency credential

Sector-based workforce initiatives Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Some Evidence

Provide industry-focused education and job training based on the needs of regional employers within specific sectors

Summer youth employment programs Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Some Evidence

Provide short-term employment opportunities for youth, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds

Bridge programs for hard-to-employ adults Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Expert Opinion

Provide basic skills (e.g., reading, math, writing, English language, or soft skills) and industry-specific training with other supports; also called occupationally contextualized basic education programs

Career pathways programs Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Expert Opinion

Provide occupation-specific training for low-skilled individuals in high-growth industries, with education and supports, usually with stackable credentials and work experience opportunities

Certificates of employability Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Expert Opinion

Issue certificates of employability to individuals with criminal convictions who have met pre-specified standards of rehabilitation; also called certificates of relief, reentry, good conduct, rehabilitation, recovery, etc.

Youth apprenticeship initiatives Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Expert Opinion

Provide participating high school students with professional opportunities that combine academic and on-the-job training or mentorship

Ban the Box Income, employment and wealth Increase worker employability Mixed Evidence

Prohibit criminal history questions on job applications and postpone background checks

Debt advice for tenants with unpaid rent Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Some Evidence

Offer debt advice from trained providers to tenants with unpaid, overdue rent to help repay debt and increase financial literacy

Financial education for adults Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Some Evidence

Provide education on basic budgeting, bank use, credit management, bankruptcy, credit building and counseling, homeownership, retirement, divorce, etc.

Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Some Evidence

Support subsidized asset accumulation programs in which deposits by participants with low and moderate incomes are matched by program sponsors; withdrawals must be used for qualified expenses to retain matching funds

Matched dollar incentives for saving tax refunds Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Some Evidence

Support programs that provide matched dollar incentives for low or moderate income individuals to place some or all of their tax refund in a savings account

Baby bonds Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Establish publicly funded investment accounts for every newborn, accessible at age 18

Child development accounts Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Build assets through child development accounts (CDAs) with contributions from a sponsoring organization, such as government agencies or nonprofits, and family, friends; also called children’s savings accounts (CSAs)

Community Development Financial Institutions Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Support financial institutions providing services to underserved and disadvantaged communities

Housing reparations Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Apologize for discriminatory housing policies; increase subsidies, financing, and paths to homeownership for people of color; and invest in systematically disadvantaged neighborhoods

Land return for tribal restitution Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Return the rights to land, property, and resources to Native people as part of policies and initiatives that promote tribal sovereignty

Microfinance & microenterprise Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Support programs that provide small loans, usually to individuals with lower incomes, to start or expand a small business, often with business development training and other technical assistance

Reparations for Black descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Expert Opinion

Apologize for the history and legacy of slavery and provide direct payments or community investments to Black descendants of people enslaved in the U.S.

Payday loan regulations Income, employment and wealth Support asset development Mixed Evidence

Regulate short-term loans that must be repaid by a borrower’s next pay day via bans, caps on maximum interest rates and loan amounts, or require minimum loan terms and credit cost