California’s Plans for the Future of Work, Workers, and a Renewed Social Compact

California, it’s often been quipped, is where the future happens first.  From technology and entertainment to policy and social reform,  California is often at the leading edge of our latest trends—and work is  no exception. While California boasts a strong economy by many measures  of growth, too many Californians have not enjoyed the benefits of the  state’s broader economic success and the extraordinary wealth generated.  As the nation grapples with demographic and geographic economic  inequities that have been growing over the first two decades of the 21st  century, and that have been exacerbated in this time of national  crisis, what does the Golden State plan to do so that workers of every  race, ethnicity, geography and gender have what they need to support  themselves and their families, and thrive now and in the future? Established prior to the COVID crisis, California’s Future of Work Commission has been tasked with confronting this question. It aims to create a new social compact for California workers, based on an expansive vision for economic equity that takes work and jobs as the starting point. As we’ve seen in the economic fallout of COVID-19, our policies, practices, and institutions are badly in need of an upgrade. The decisions we make now—on job quality, equity, wages, working conditions, advancement, and more—will chart the course of opportunity for generations of Californians to come, and for our nation as a whole. Now is the time to lay the foundation for a more vibrant and inclusive economy than the one we had before. We invite you to hear firsthand what California is doing to build a brighter future of work. Our speakers include the co-chairs of California's Future of Work Commission, Mary Kay Henry (International President, Service Employees International Union) and James Manyika (Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; Chairman and Director, McKinsey Global Institute), as well as Julie Su (Secretary, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency) and moderator Eduardo Porter (Economics Reporter, The New York Times). The Economic Opportunities Program’s Opportunity in America discussion series has moved to an all-virtual format as we all do what  we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. But the conversations about the  changing landscape of economic opportunity in the US and implications  for individuals, families, and communities across the country remain  vitally important. We hope you will participate as we bring our  discussions to you in virtual formats, and we look forward to your  feedback. We are grateful to the Ford Foundation, Prudential Financial, Walmart.org, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and the Surdna Foundation for their support of this series.