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Workers and the Workplace

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Demand for educated, versatile workers who can interpret complex information and adapt to innovation is higher than ever. RAND pursues research that helps people, organizations, and governments understand how workers can remain engaged and productive in a changing global economy. Studies address workforce development, gender equity in the workplace, working conditions, and workplace wellness programs.

Report
Veterans' Employment During Recessions
Veterans and nonveterans have different employment support needs and are affected differently by recessions. Understanding these differences can help veterans, employers, policymakers, and veteran-serving organizations prepare for economic shocks and uncertainty.
Mar 29, 2023
Q&A
Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo
Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.
Mar 16, 2023

Topics in Focus:

Explore Workers and the Workplace

Journal Article
Productivity Institute Programme: Evaluation Framework and Baseline Report
This report sets out the findings of the first phase of an evaluation of the 2019 Productivity Institute Programme, comprising The Productivity Institute, the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion and the thematic investments.
Apr 14, 2023
Report
Teachers' Preparation Experiences from Coursework to the Classroom: Findings from the 2022 Learn Together Survey
Using nationally representative response data from the 2022 Learn Together Survey, the authors examine teachers' experiences entering, completing, and transitioning from teacher preparation programs and discuss implications and recommendations.
Apr 13, 2023
Tool
RAND HRS Longitudinal File 2020 (V1) Documentation: Includes 1992-2020 (Early Release)
This tool is a cleaned, easy-to-use, and streamlined data product containing information from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal household survey that facilitates research into different aspects of population aging in the United States.
Apr 13, 2023
Report
Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio
The authors examine whether low-income individuals are stacking credentials and benefiting economically, explore systemic barriers to stackable credential opportunities for low-income individuals, and consider solutions to strengthen these pipelines.
Apr 13, 2023
Research Brief
States Can Take Steps to Address Potential Barriers to Equity in Stackable Credential Pipelines
The authors examine barriers to stacking credentials for low-income individuals -- limited chances for stacking in some fields and institutions, insufficient information, and challenges moving between programs -- and consider solutions from stakeholders.
Apr 13, 2023
Research Brief
Do Low-Income Students Benefit from Stacking Credentials? Descriptive Evidence from Colorado and Ohio
The authors describe findings from a study on how frequently low-income individuals are stacking credentials, whether stacking increases wage-earning opportunities, and which fields provide the best returns from stacking.
Apr 13, 2023
Commentary
Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach
The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.
Apr 12, 2023
Report
Improving Transition Assistance for Reserve Component Members
The authors identify unmet needs for transitioning reserve component members, assess the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and recommend ways to improve TAP's effectiveness in addressing reserve component members' transition needs.
Apr 12, 2023
Journal Article
Methodology for a Six-State Survey of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners
To overcome the limitations of administrative data, we fielded a cross-sectional, mixed-mode (mail/online) survey of primary care NPs in six states to collect data directly from NPs on their clinical roles and practice environments.
Apr 12, 2023
Journal Article
Surveying Primary Care Nurse Practitioners: An Overview of National Sampling Frames
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of national sampling frames that can be used by researchers interested in surveying or studying the U.S. primary care nurse practitioner workforce.
Apr 12, 2023
Journal Article
Practice Patterns, Work Environments, and Job Outcomes of Rural and Urban Primary Care Nurse Practitioners
This study compares urban and rural NPs using data from a survey of 1,244 primary care NPs in Arizona, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.
Apr 12, 2023
Commentary
The Army Should Be Looking for a Few Older Soldiers
Recruiting older people to enlist in the Army could help increase numbers, quality, and talent. Individuals who enlist over the age of 21 perform better as soldiers on several metrics. Recruiters have noted that older recruits are of higher quality, more focused, and more motivated.
Apr 7, 2023
Journal Article
Understanding Decision Making Around Changing the State Pension Age: A Review of International Evidence
This report presents findings from a review commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions to investigate how high-income OECD countries change State Pension age (SPa) and the variables considered when they changed the SPa.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations
What is the progress of the commercial space industry in adopting voluntary standards for participant safety, and towards meeting key metrics that would indicate readiness for regulation?
Apr 3, 2023
Blog
Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.
Mar 31, 2023
Report
Emerging Options for Field-Grade Officer Promotions in the U.S. Air Force
The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act established an alternative framework for promotion policies for military officers. The authors examine whether shifting to this framework would be beneficial and how it would be implemented.
Mar 29, 2023
Report
Neurodiversity and National Security: How to Tackle National Security Challenges with a Wider Range of Cognitive Talents
This report provides research and analysis for national security managers and employees who seek to better understand neurodivergence and neurodiversity and desire simple steps to achieve neurodiverse inclusivity for national security workplaces.
Mar 27, 2023
Research Brief
Why National Security Needs Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity, like other forms of diversity, can strengthen an organization. Members of the neurodivergent population have skills that can be beneficial in many fields of interest to national security. These include pattern recognition, problem-solving, visualization, and memory.
Mar 27, 2023
Report
How Did COVID-19 Affect Prison Education?
Many U.S. correctional systems shut down or cut back on education and vocational programs because of the pandemic. But having to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions helped accelerate the adoption of online and hybrid learning models and the use of technology for prison education programs.
Mar 23, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jason M. Ward

Associate Director, RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles

Jason Ward is associate director of the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles, an associate economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His work uses the tools of applied microeconomics to study housing, labor markets, education,…
Rafiq Dossani

Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

Rafiq Dossani is director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He works on education, finance, regional development, security, trade, and technology issues. Recent projects…

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