The Departments of Labor and Commerce’s “Good Jobs Principles” outline the essential elements of high-quality jobs and lay the groundwork for more concrete strategies to implement the principles.
The purpose of the eight principles is to create a shared vision of job quality. Key principles on the list include:
- Pay: All workers are paid a stable and predictable living wage that is transparent and fair;
- Benefits: Both part-time and full-time workers are provided family-sustaining benefits including health insurance, a retirement plan, and paid leave and caregiving support;
- Empowerment and Representation: Workers can form and join unions, and can “contribute to decisions about their work, how it is performed, and organizational direction;” and
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA): A core value and practiced norm in the workplace.
The rollout included an all-day “Good Jobs Summit,” with leaders of federal, state and local governments, unions, and workforce organizations gathered to discuss how the federal government is empowering employees.
Takeaway: The principles and summit are the latest example of the whole-of-government approach the Biden administration is taking to advance its workplace policy priorities. It is unclear if any of these good job principles will become requirements for federal contractors.
