LOCAL
Sep 9, 2022
By Staff Writer
With the Great Resignation still rippling across the workforce, the state has launched a free pilot program to help employers measure the quality of the jobs they provide, and work out how to make them better.
The idea is that if businesses can boost the quality of the jobs they’re offering, they’ll be able to keep more employees (turnover is costly) and attract better candidates for open positions.
The free Good Jobs Pilot is being launched by the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and was developed in partnership with Working Metrics, a data analytics platform.
According to Gallup, U.S. businesses lose a trillion dollars annually due to voluntary turnover; the cost of replacing an individual worker can range from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary — a conservative estimate.
“Employers have a vested interest in improving the quality of their jobs, especially those facing skills gaps, for many reasons,” said Renise Walker, CWDC’s assistant director of systems innovation. …
“As the Great Resignation continues, employers cannot afford to lose skilled employees with institutional knowledge. And regardless of turnover rates, most employers would benefit from an increased number of candidates for open positions as labor shortages continue across industries.”
How should high-quality jobs be defined?
“Livable wages are essential to job quality, but wages alone do not equate to a good job. High quality employment is rooted in employee dignity and includes elements such as job security, stable scheduling, benefits, and career development opportunities,” said Celeste Richie, vice president of workforce development at Results for America. “The benefits of investing in the many facets of job quality have clear gains for employers, individual workers, communities and the overall economy.”
Colorado participates in Results of America’s Workforce Fellowship program to increase its use of data and evidence in improving employment outcomes.
Employers can join the Good Jobs Pilot at any time. Initially, each participating organization will need to commit 2-4 hours to onboarding training, uploading the first data set, and reviewing initial results. After launch, the time commitment is 30-60 minutes quarterly, when companies submit quarterly data. Employers will also be able to take advantage of program representatives, who can review their data and work with organizations to come up with concrete next steps to improve their job quality. Employers’ job quality scores will not be publicly available unless they choose to share that information. Participation is free.
Learn more at CWDC’s Job Quality page. Employers are encouraged to contact the CWDC at cwdc@state.co.us to join.