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The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.

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Commentary

• Making Skills-First Work for Small Businesses by Chelsea Miller (UpSkill America) and Ebony D. Thomas (Grads of Life)
• AI Decisions are Workforce Decisions by Chris Huyck Trout, UpSkill America

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Videos

The Necessity of Employee-Centered Strategies, featuring Steve Dawson and Jerry Rubin (coauthors, “Help Wanted: How To Find and Keep Talent in a Forever-Tight Labor Market”) and moderator Maureen Conway (Aspen Institute). Hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on July 29. Highlights:

• The Labor Market Isn’t Going Back: Why Talent Shortages Are Here to Stay — Steve Dawson
• Will AI Solve the Labor Shortage? What Employers Need to Know — Jerry Rubin
• You’re Hiring Wrong: How to Find Talent You’ve Been Overlooking — Jerry Rubin
• How To Convince Leadership That Employee Investment Pays Off — Steve Dawson
• Why We Wrote “Help Wanted”: The Case for Employee-Centered Leadership — Jerry Rubin
• Employee-Centered Strategies for Small Businesses and Nonprofits — Jerry Rubin
• One Piece of Advice for Every Employer — Jerry Rubin & Steve Dawson

The Impact of Foundational Skills on Workforce Success, featuring Della Adams (Tyson Foods), Quentin Bradley (Ochsner Health), Joe Dunlap (CJK Group), Georgia Reagan (Lumina Foundation), and moderator Chelsea Miller (UpSkill America). Hosted by UpSkill America and Lumina Foundation on August 18.

Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders, featuring Joyce Klein (Aspen Institute) and Brett Simmons (Blue Aster Advising). Hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative on August 26.

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Podcasts

The Necessity of Employee-Centered Strategies, featuring Steve Dawson and Jerry Rubin (coauthors, “Help Wanted: How To Find and Keep Talent in a Forever-Tight Labor Market”) and moderator Maureen Conway (Aspen Institute). Hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on July 29.

The Impact of Foundational Skills on Workforce Success, featuring Della Adams (Tyson Foods), Quentin Bradley (Ochsner Health), Joe Dunlap (CJK Group), Georgia Reagan (Lumina Foundation), and moderator Chelsea Miller (UpSkill America). Hosted by UpSkill America and Lumina Foundation on August 18.

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Newsletters

• Resource Roundup: Labor is changing. Labor policy should too. by Maxwell Johnson
• Upcoming Events — August 2026
• Monthly Digest — July 2026

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Upcoming Events

• September 9 — Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman (free, online).
• September 23 — Work & the Social Contract in the Age of AI: How did we get here? (free, online). Registration for this event will open soon. Join our mailing list to be notified.

Click here to view more events.