Jobs and the Economy
Key Projects
Fundamental changes in the global economy have hit low income communities the hardest with dramatically higher rates of unemployment in communities of color. Meanwhile, huge job losses in cities and regions are pushing middle class families into poverty across the country. The nation’s massive investment to repair crumbling infrastructure and create a greener, more sustainable cities and regions presents significant opportunities to reinvestment in our most vulnerable neighborhoods and people. Public investment in infrastructure is one of the best job creation strategies that will create more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable regional economies and ensure our country is a more competitive economically. It is the only economic growth strategy that can guarantee triple and quadruple returns on our hard earned investments. By training low income residents for middle skill jobs in transportation related construction, maintenance of water and utility systems, making our buildings more energy efficient, and ensuring that all government funded infrastructure projects set aside a percentage of work to employ residents of low income communities we create true ladders to opportunity. By providing an array of supports, access to capital, new networks and partnerships, and enlisting emerging businesses that are owned by women and people of color in these projects, we can strengthen and expand the small businesses that are critical to the goal of creating and sustaining good jobs in cities and regions throughout the nation. PolicyLink works with a diverse group of partners to build the case for economic inclusion in federal, state, and local infrastructure, workforce, and economic growth policy and programs. With broad goal of creating economic opportunities for specific target populations in low income and communities of color, our research, advocacy, and alliance building is aligned to realize the following objectives:
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