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In honor of Workforce Development Month, the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and its partners are launching a campaign to encourage employers to participate in its no-cost Good Jobs Pilot. The pilot is aimed at helping employers assess the quality of the jobs they provide and learn what concrete steps they can take to improve them, resulting in an increased number of candidates and improved retention rates. The program was developed in partnership with Working Metrics, a data analytics platform.

“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. “Replacing an employee is costly and results in lowered performance. 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.”

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. 

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.

Walker adds that there is not only a strong business case for measuring job quality and taking steps to improve it, but also a moral case: “When employers improve the quality of the jobs they provide, they are making a considerable positive impact on the lives of their employees, creating a win for both workers and employers.”

“Colorado’s governor and workforce officials have been leaders in demonstrating that job quality and equity is the pathway to building better performing companies and economies,” said Larry Schlang, CEO of  Working Metrics. “Together we strongly believe that businesses and agencies can’t improve what they don’t measure. Along with CWDC, Working Metrics is partnering with numerous local agencies, business associations, nonprofits and employers around the state to help them use data to assess, benchmark and track their job quality performance in comparison to industry and regional peers – providing valuable insight into how to better attract and retain talent. We look forward to working even more closely together as Colorado continues to grow its Good Jobs Initiative.”

Employers can join the Good Jobs Pilot program at any time. Initially, each participating organization will need to commit two to four 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 of charge.

To learn more about the program, view the CWDC’s Job Quality page. Employers are encouraged to contact the CWDC at cwdc@state.co.us to join the program.

About the Colorado Workforce Development Council
The vision of the CWDC is that every Colorado employer has access to a skilled workforce and every Coloradan has the opportunity for meaningful employment, resulting in individual and statewide economic prosperity. The CWDC’s mission is to enhance and sustain a skills-based talent development network that meets the needs of employers, workers, job seekers, and learners for today and tomorrow. 

About Working Metrics
Working Metrics, with our partners, is leading the movement to establish job quality metrics and standards.  We make it easy for public and private organizations to measure, benchmark, score and analyze their job quality performance in comparison to their industry and regional peers, enabling them to improve company performance, drive more business, and attract high-quality talent. To learn more, visit www.workingmetrics.com or follow us on Twitter @WorkingMetrics.

About Results for America
Results for America is helping decision-makers at all levels of government harness the power of evidence and data to solve our world’s greatest challenges. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that when policymakers make decisions, they start by seeking the best evidence and data available, then use what they find to get better results.