Between Hope and Hard Times: New York’s Working Families In Economic Distress
"Between Hope and Hard Times: New York’s Working Families In Economic Distress", November 2004, by the Center for an Urban Future and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
"The Working Poor Families Project"の一環として出された報告書。ニューヨーク州の働く貧困層の実態や教育・訓練プログラムについて分析。
Chapter One: Working Families in Economic Distress
- The number of low-income families in New York is large and growing: Nearly a third of all jobs in the state pay low wages. New York’s high cost of living, lack of affordable housing and large immigrant population are key factors that add to the challenge of how to assist low-income families.
Chapter Two: Education and Skills Training
- New York is increasingly a state of educational haves and have-nots, with more than two in five adults earning an Associates Degree or higher but another half of the state’s adult population measuring at low levels of literacy. Community colleges, workforce development programs and adult education networks—three potential avenues to help low-income families advance—score high marks in some regards, but overall do not meet worker needs in an increasingly skill-based economy.
Chapter Three: Economic Development
- Unemployment is relatively high in New York, while many new jobs are in low-wage fields. Large state economic development investments in business subsidies and the Empire Zone program generally offer little help for low-income workers. Unlike many other states, New York has been inconsistent in its support for training workers already on the job.
Chapter Four: Making Work Pay
- New York has made a commitment to policies that supplement income from work: The state is a national leader in providing supports such as the state Earned Income Tax Credit, subsidized childcare and health benefits to low-income workers. There remains some room for improvement within these generally successful programs, particularly in areas such as unemployment insurance and family leave.
