With more than 40% of workers in the US employed by businesses with more than 1,000 employees, many look to the outsized influence these employers can have on how we design work and jobs. As a result, engaging and collaborating with these businesses where possible is necessary to improving job quality and working conditions.

While their size and scale offers job quality practitioners the potential for big changes, engaging large businesses in job quality and strategies that improve conditions for their workforces presents unique challenges as well. Complex decision-making processes and implementation challenges, wide-ranging organizational needs and incentives, and an array of other potential barriers can make it difficult to navigate for those looking to engage and collaborate with big businesses on improving job quality.

In this event, which took place on October 9, 2025, we examine the challenges and strategies for engaging and supporting large businesses in actively influencing positive economic outcomes for their employees. Our speakers include Ellen G. Frank-Miller (Founder & CEO, Workforce & Organizational Research Center), Scotland Nash (Director, Talent Rewire, FSG), Cindy Williams (Executive Director, WorkLife Partnership), and moderator Matt Helmer (Director, Job Quality and Worker Well-Being, Economic Opportunities Program, The Aspen Institute).

This event is part of our Job Quality in Practice webinar series.

For more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

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As employers know, finding the right employee for a role can be difficult even during the best of times. Meanwhile, many workers with the right experience are locked out entirely because they lack the prescribed degrees or traditional academic credentials. Skills-based talent development brings these two together, benefiting both job seekers and organizations.

Framing talent development around defined skills, rather than only degrees, can reduce disparities in career opportunities while increasing productivity and agility in business operations. Forward-looking organizations — for-profit, nonprofit, and public — are increasingly adopting practices that are characteristic of this approach, such as: defining job qualifications by skills and knowledge, sourcing candidates beyond customary channels, eliminating biases in hiring and selection, and maintaining a culture that reflects an organization-wide commitment to inclusion, job quality, and mobility.

So what does it take for a business to walk the talk in skills-based talent development? It takes collaboration, internal systems change, and commitment to equity. BMO Bank partnered with Cara Collective, a comprehensive workforce development nonprofit, to get qualified talent through the door and on the path to economic mobility.

In this event — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on September 26, 2025 — we hear their story and learn practical tips for removing barriers to opportunity for workers. Our speakers include Liana Bran (Cara Plus), LaKeita Burns (BMO Bank), Paris Roney (BMO Bank), and Dee Wallace (The Aspen Institute).

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

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This event draws on insights from our Workforce Leadership Academies.

A core shared value in American society, one deeply woven into our national narrative, is the belief in equal opportunity — the idea that everyone should have a fair chance to succeed based on their effort, talent, and ambition, regardless of their background.

Equal opportunity in the American workplace has deep roots in the nation’s struggle for civil rights and economic fairness. Though disparities remain for women, different racial groups, and others in areas such as employment rates, wages, wealth, and occupational segregation, progress has been made. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, to affirmative action policies and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the US has made significant strides toward leveling the playing field.

Today, the legacy and pursuit of equal opportunity face significant challenges. Recent debates and policy shifts risk weakening efforts to address discrimination and harassment, and they may obscure the history and progress we’ve made toward greater inclusion. These trends raise important questions about how we uphold our shared commitment to fairness and democratic values. At a time when trust in institutions is wavering and inequality is rising, reaffirming our commitment to equal opportunity is more urgent than ever.

In this event, which took place on September 4, 2025, we explore the current landscape, emerging challenges, and the strategies needed to protect and strengthen opportunity in the American workplace. We hear opening remarks from Kalpana Kotagal, commissioner of the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, followed by a panel discussion with Stacey Abrams, USC’s Dr. Manuel Pastor, and moderator Natalie Foster, a senior fellow with our Future of Work Initiative and president and cofounder of the Economic Security Project.

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.

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This event is part of our Opportunity in America conversation series.

Each of the last ten years ranks among the hottest on record, with 2024 taking the top spot. As the world heats up, nearly a third of the workforce is at risk, especially workers in groundskeeping, construction, and agriculture. But it isn’t just outdoor workers who face danger. Many of the drivers and warehouse workers who form the backbone of our on-demand economy spend their days in hot vans and warehouses, without air conditioning or sufficient breaks. Workers from minority backgrounds are most affected by excessive heat, with more than half of Black, Latino, and immigrant workers employed in “exposed” jobs, all while being less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance.

Researchers have found that the rate of occupational injury and accidents increases steadily as temperatures go up, and as many as 2,000 workers die every year due to heat. Low-wage workers often can’t pay for basics such as food or shelter if they miss a day’s pay, so they keep working even when they know it’s too hot. And as heat harms workers’ health, making it more difficult for them to carry out their tasks, productivity is impacted. For the benefit of workers, businesses, and our society, we need to build workplace heat safety into our culture, policies, and practices if we are to adapt to our warming planet.

In this event, which took place on July 30, 2025, we learn how the warming climate is affecting workers, and what policymakers, businesses, and labor are doing to keep workers safe. Our speakers include Jon Esformes (Sunripe Certified Brands), Sheheryar Kaoosji (Warehouse Workers Resource Center), Reyna Lopez (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste), Rosemary Sokas (Georgetown University), and moderator Dorany Pineda (Associated Press).

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.

Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.

This event is part of our Opportunity in America conversation series.

Efforts to improve work and working conditions in the US have been underway since our nation’s inception. While labor unions have historically led this work, the growing prevalence of low-wage, precarious jobs has inspired a broader movement. Today, a diverse array of leaders across sectors are advancing bold solutions to “fix work” — to ensure every job in our economy is a good job. The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program has released a report, Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners, based on in-depth interviews with more than 20 leaders across the country about the work they are doing to create good jobs that provide economic security, the opportunity to advance and grow, and a safe, dignified, and equitable workplace.

In this webinar, which took place on July 22, 2025, we hear from leaders who are at the forefront of building a fairer and more just economy, where workers, communities, and businesses can succeed together. Learn how these leaders think about good jobs, what strategies they use to build them, and the experiences and lessons they have learned in creating change. Whether you’re a workforce leader, policymaker, business advisor, or advocate, this conversation will offer fresh insights, practical lessons, and inspiration to advance job quality in your own work. Our speakers include Evan Edwards (Project Equity), Adam Kader (ARISE Chicago), Renise Walker (Colorado Workforce Development Council), and moderator Matt Helmer (The Aspen Institute).

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.

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In this clip, the Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Rutgers University’s Joseph Blasi provide closing remarks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For a transcript and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/joseph-blasi-and-maureen-conway-give-closing-remarks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop

The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.

This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.

For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/

In this clip, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Gwyneth Galbraith speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/jpmorgan-chase-co-s-gwyneth-galbraith-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop

The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.

This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.

For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/

In this clip, ESCA President Stephanie Silverman speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/esca-president-stephanie-silverman-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop

The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.

This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.

For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/