JOTF Reports

Patching the Leaky Pipeline: Helping Low-Skill Marylanders Access & Succeed in College

Read our January 2008 Issue Brief,
"Patching the Leaky Pipeline: Helping Low-Skill Marylanders Access & Succeed in College"

(Document is in PDF format.)

Although Maryland has one of the nation’s highest proportions of residents with college degrees, the reality is that many students in the state struggle to make it through the education system and gain the academic skills needed to compete in today’s knowledge-based economy.

A new issue brief from the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) documents the challenges facing the large number of Marylanders who either drop out or fail to make a smooth transition from one academic level to the next. The report finds that more than half of all Marylanders in their prime working years—1.3 million local adults—lack a college degree, a basic credential for many good-paying jobs.

The issue brief highlights key problems facing many Maryland students, including affordability, difficultly completing developmental coursework, and the need for student supports. It also offers a series of recommendations for moving students of all backgrounds more smoothly through the post-secondary system and into the workforce.

For more information, or to request a hard copy of the issue brief, contact Andrea Payne at 410-234-8303.

Overpriced and Underserved: How the Market is Failing Low-Wage Baltimoreans

Read our September 2007 report,
"Overpriced and Underserved: How the Market is Failing Low-Wage Baltimoreans"

(Document is in PDF format.)

This report finds that low-wage consumers pay more than their wealthier neighbors for everything from automobiles to zucchini. Each year, they spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars more on everyday goods and services. Rather than saving for retirement, investing in education, or working towards a down payment on a home or car, low-wage families are forced to spend a significant portion of their income meeting basic needs for which wealthier families are shown to pay considerably less.

In the report, JOTF identifies promising practices to help reduce the “poverty premium” and presents a seven-piece action agenda to make the market work better for local families.

For more information, or to request a hard copy, please contact Andrea Payne at 410-234-8303.

Putting the Unemployment System Back to Work For Maryland's Economy

Read our January 2007 Issue Brief,
"Putting the Unemployment System Back to Work for Maryland’s Economy"

(Document is in PDF format.)

A huge portion of the state’s workforce is ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits, even though their wages are taxed. Overall, only one-third of workers who are unemployed in the state actually receive benefits. In a new issue brief, Putting the Unemployment System Back to Work for Maryland’s Economy, the Job Opportunities Task Force makes five recommendations that will help the UI system better serve workers, employers, and the state economy.

For more information please contact Andrea Payne at 410-234-8303.

Working for Pennies

Download the 2004 report,
Working for Pennies: The Plight of Baltimore's Urban Poor

(Document is in PDF format.)

This collection of stories, facts, and reflections seeks to shed light on the life of Baltimore's hidden workforce; that is, the working poor. In this piece, advocates and low-wage workers share their candid perspectives on the new type of poverty plaguing Baltimore.

Melissa Chalmers Broome, Senior Policy Advocate for the Job Opportunities Task Force, conducted the research after receiving a Kolvenbach Award from Loyola College in Maryland.

To request a free, hard copy of the report, contact Melissa Chalmers Broome.

Bridge Programs in Maryland Report

Read our 2005 report,
Bridge Programs in Maryland: Helping Low-skill Residents Access Postsecondary Training and High Wage Jobs

Bridge programs help low-skilled adults access higher education and high paying through intensive experiential learning and training. Programs typically involve partnerships between community colleges and the private sector. The JOTF report highlights 3 programs within the state that offer promising practices and lessons. This research was funded by the Center for Law and Social Policy.

Maryland Workforce Indicators Project

Download our 2004 report,
Connecting Low-Income Families to Good Jobs: A Policy Road Map for Maryland

(Document is in PDF format.)

In 2003 JOTF undertook the Maryland Workforce Indicators Project. Part of a national initiative designed and sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ford Foundation, this project analyzes the effectiveness of state programs designed to help low-income, working families.

The project culminated with the release in January 2004 of a report, Connecting Low-Income Families to Good Jobs: A Policy Road Map for Maryland. The report received financial report from Open Society Institute-Baltimore and the France Merrick Foundation.

The report finds that although Maryland is one of the most affluent states in the nation, it is also home to more than 100,000 working families who are struggling to make ends meet in jobs that provide low wages, poor benefits and little hope for advancement. Maryland’s efforts to assist these low-wage workers achieve financial security are inadequate and in need of reform.

The 40-page report proposes more than a dozen policy changes in higher education, economic development, job training and other areas.

Among its recommendations, Connecting Low-Income Families to Good Jobs calls for:
• Allocating a larger share of existing higher education financial aid to need-based programs.
• Expanding the state’s adult education offerings to help low-wage workers achieve basic competency.
• Ensuring that Maryland’s economic development spending is targeted to help create family-supporting jobs.
• Restoring most of the $25 million cut in 2002 from the state’s child-care subsidies, which provide vital help to low-income working families.

State Workforce Indicators

Connecting Low-Income Families to Good Jobs is based on an examination of certain key indicators of workforce demographics, state policies, and program outcomes. To view the data that support each chapter of the report, click the links below. (Documents are in PDF format.)

• Chapter 1: "Falling Behind in Maryland"
  - Demographic Indicators
  
• Chapter 2: "Building the Foundation"
  - Demographic Indicators
  - Outcome Indicators
  - Policy Indicators
  
• Chapter 3: "Creating Good Jobs"
  - Demographic Indicators
  - Outcome Indicators
  - Policy Indicators
  
• Chapter 4: "Fostering Financial Security"
  - Demographic Indicators
  - Outcome Indicators
  - Policy Indicators

For more information about the Maryland Workforce Indicators Project, contact Jason Perkins-Cohen at (410) 234-8045.

Job Gap Reports

Download our 2003 report, Baltimore's Choice: Workers and Jobs for a Thriving Economy.

Download the abstract of Baltimore's Choice.

Download our 1999 report, Baltimore Area Jobs and Low-Skill Job Seekers: Assessing the Gaps.

(Document is in PDF format.)

Job Gap reports bring together data about the labor force, job market, occupations, wages, skills, and geographic distribution of jobs and workers in a metropolitan area, region, or state. These studies provide information and analysis that can be the basis for workforce and economic development plans, and serve as benchmarks to measure change.

In 1999 the JOTF published a job gap report entitled Baltimore Area Jobs and Low-Skill Job Seekers: Assessing the Gaps. This was the first such study of the Baltimore region, and was widely read by the business community, state and local government decision makers, and others.

The JOTF released its second job gap report, Baltimore's Choice: Workers & Jobs for a Thriving Economy, on January 27, 2003. In addition to an overview of the Baltimore region’s economy and detailed information about jobs, skills, wages, and the labor force, Baltimore's Choice includes a discussion of two hard-to-serve populations: ex-offenders and school dropouts. Recommendations for action are directed to nonprofit organizations, the private sector, and government.

For more information regarding Baltimore's Choice by mail, please call (410) 234-8040.