This Brookings Institution report from the Hamilton Project examines the reasons behind the decline in labor force participation over the last two years. The analysis identifies trends in labor force participation by age, gender, race, and educational level. The report also reviews proposals for increasing participation among non-college-educated workers and how changes in caregiving responsibilities, health and disability, and criminal justice reform affect engagement with the labor market.

This Urban Institute report presents motivations and barriers faced by employers that provide work-family supports. The report also highlights employer perceptions about public policies that help low-wage workers address or manage work-family supports, such as paid leave, workplace flexibility, and subsidized child care. The findings also reveal ways that employer-based policies can be integrated and aligned with work-family supports. The report draws on interviews with 16 organizations that represent or directly work with employers and notes that further research on work-family supports for low-wage workers is needed.