Employment

When young people secure a quality job, one that pays a living wage, offers benefits, builds skills and provides purpose, they don’t just earn a paycheck, they launch a trajectory. Upwardly mobile work accelerates skill development and earnings, supports wealth-building, stabilizes housing and health through benefits, and strengthens a young person’s sense of agency and identity. Over time, these gains compound, expanding career options and supporting long-term stability and thriving for individuals, families and communities. For young people experiencing poverty, first-generation families and Black and Latine communities, this access is especially transformative, narrowing opportunity gaps, reducing vulnerability to economic shocks and supporting intergenerational mobility.

The StriveTogether Outcomes Playbook: Employment is a comprehensive guide to the latest research and best practices for this outcome, made possible by support from the Gates Foundation. Communities can use the playbook to identify local needs, prioritize areas for collective action and improve strategies.

What Does Landing a Quality Job Mean?

A quality job is defined by the attributes that make these outcomes possible. It pays a living wage and provides benefits that support health and stability. It offers clear pathways to build skills, advance and increase earnings over time, rather than trapping workers in static roles. And it provides purpose and dignity — helping young people understand how their work matters and how it connects to a longer-term career.

When these attributes are present, the benefits extend beyond individuals. Employers gain a more skilled and stable workforce, communities see growth in productivity and tax bases and reliance on public support declines. Together, these features explain why quality jobs are not simply endpoints of education, but engines of mobility that strengthen families, communities and the broader economy.

How to Use the Employment Playbook

Mathematica’s Education-to-Workforce Framework is the inspiration behind the playbook’s organization and content. The playbook provides research-based guidance to help community leaders: 

• Identify priorities
• Track key indicators to measure community-level progress
• Design strategies with stakeholders
• Build collective support for investments in access to quality jobs

How the Employment Playbook Complements Mathematica’s Education-to-Workforce Framework

The playbook supplements the Education-to-Workforce Framework by incorporating research on early childhood reading development, strategies for improving high school graduation rates, the need for career pathways that match local labor market needs and more. 56% of the indicators, practices and policies (42 out of 75) included in the Employment Playbook come from the Education-to-Workforce Framework.