NYC Center for Economic Opportunity

Advance at Work reduces poverty and increases income for low-wage workers through job upgrades, access to work supports and asset-building activities.

Problem Statement
Over 350,000 working New Yorkers are living in poverty, constituting approximately 46% of poor households in New York City. Due to a lack of skills, including limited English and an inability to access training, many working poor cannot secure permanent well-paid jobs with growth potential. Employment opportunities for this population are often unstable, lack benefits, and offer few chances for advancement or increased income. Low-wage service workers, for example, are much less likely to receive health insurance through an employer as compared to all workers.

Research & Evidence
Advance at Work is a model program that grows out of the Department of Small Business Services' (SBS) workforce development experience as well as a rich body of research evaluating similar demonstration projects around the country and in England. SBS collaborated with MDRC, the nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy research organization to develop this model. MDRC is currently evaluating similar models across the nation and early findings indicate that many programs were able to increase job retention and wages for participating employees while reducing employee turnover for participating employers.

SBS also incorporated best practices from other workforce development programs throughout the country, including The Advancement Project (Seattle, WA), San Francisco Works (SFWorks), Center for Working Families, The Source (Grand Rapids, MI), Boston SkillWorks, and Ohio Bridges to Opportunity Program.

Program Description
Advance at Work develops the skills of working poor adults to increase their job stability and economic self-sufficiency. Advance at Work operates closely with the City's Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers offer broad workforce services to all jobseekers and employers, while Advance at Work focuses on employed, low-wage participants and career advancement.

Advance at Work expands the advancement and retention services available for currently employed individuals. The program offers individual career coaching, access to training and education programs, enrollment in work supports, income and asset building information, financial incentives, and workshops. The Career Center develops and maintains a strong employer network through which Advance at Work is able to access opportunities for promotions and career upgrades to help program participants reach their career advancement goals. There are currently five Advance at Work program sites.

Expected Outcomes
To receive one or more income upgrades (from wages or work support). Increased income can include accessing one or more of the following work supports: Earned Income Tax Credit and other related tax credits, subsidized Health Insurance, Food Stamps, subsidized childcare.

Increased individual gross weekly earnings from employment as a result of a job upgrade are defined as:

• Earnings gain at current employer or new employer through an increase in wages and/or hours
• Receipt of new employer sponsored fringe benefits (specifically subsidized health insurance, subsidized childcare or paid sick or vacation time) at current employer or new employer
• Movement from a temporary into a permanent position