Job Quality and Economic Opportunity Learning Project for a Statewide Foundation

At a glance

Type of work: Policy learning and applied labor market analysis
Client type: Statewide foundation
Geography: Colorado
Lead economist: Guanyi Yang, PhD
Deliverables: Indicator framework, memos and decks, briefings and webinar

The question we were asked to answer

The client’s goal was learning, not a single one-time statistic. They wanted a job quality and economic opportunity evidence base that could support program strategy, partner conversations, and future investments.

The work focused on income and wealth equity, especially for low and moderate-income communities of color and rural residents. The project needed to define job quality in a way that a broad set of stakeholders could use, then show where gaps exist and why.

What Focalize Solutions did

We ran a five-phase research roadmap that moved from definitions to actionable insight.

Phase 1: Define job quality metrics

We created a clear job quality indicator framework and glossary. This included dimensions beyond wages, such as benefits, stability, advancement, voice, and wealth building. We also documented data sources so the framework could be used consistently across future work.

Deliverable: a concise indicator framework memo.

Phase 2: Identify access gaps

We examined who holds quality jobs and where gaps are largest. We disaggregated by demographics and geography and focused on barriers that stakeholders can recognize and discuss, such as education requirements, commute constraints, hiring practices, and network effects.

Deliverable: an access gaps analysis memo or deck with clear visuals.

Phase 3: Analyze drivers of job quality

We looked at which factors correlate most strongly with job quality outcomes. This included education, industry, employer characteristics, and skill requirements. We used simple comparative approaches first so results stayed interpretable, then added robustness checks so the headline findings did not depend on one definition.

Deliverable: a drivers brief in plain language.

Phase 4: Map system dynamics and leverage points

Job quality is not only an individual choice story. We mapped key actors and reviewed the policy and program context that shapes job quality. The goal was to illuminate system dynamics and identify plausible leverage points for further exploration, not to issue formal recommendations.

Deliverable: a system dynamics briefing supported by a concise slide deck.

Phase 5: Build a future outlook

We reviewed labor market trends that may reshape job quality, including automation risk, industry shifts, remote work, and demographic change. We developed a small set of plausible scenarios and discussed how each could affect equity outcomes.

Deliverable: a future outlook deck and interactive session.

What we delivered

Across the project, we prioritized outputs people actually use:

• Short memos and decks rather than long reports

• Clear visuals designed for internal decision makers and external partners

• Interactive briefings so the work could inform real planning conversations

Why this mattered

Foundations often sit between data and action. They need evidence that is defensible but also easy to communicate to partners. This project produced a shared language for job quality and a structured way to talk about gaps, drivers, and future risks.

Confidentiality and work samples

We can share a redacted version of the indicator glossary format and a sample slide layout used for briefings upon request.

Related service: Regulatory and public sector evaluation, workforce analysis