Browsing by Subject "Labor force"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Addressing Accessibility and Equity Along Transitways: Toward a Mixed Methods Toolkit—Part 1
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2021-01) Carlson, Kristin; Owen, Andrew
    This report presents the results of a transit accessibility analysis for the B, D, E, Gold, and Rush Line transitways in the Twin Cities. Census block level access to grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and high schools is evaluated in two stages. Stage one evaluates the B, D, and E Lines, while stage two builds on stage one by adding the Gold and Rush Lines to the transit network. Accessibility results are disaggregated by five worker demographic categories including age, educational attainment, monthly earnings, race, and sex. The results highlight access to two destinations, which capture some of the choice set available to workers. The D Line consistently improves travel times to grocery, healthcare, and high school destinations. Between 30% and 50% of the workers living within a half-mile of a D Line transit stop experience a 1-to-5-minute travel time savings. The B and E Lines also bring travel time savings to the workers living near these transit routes but to a lesser extent than the D Line. Blocks within the Gold Line corridor experience the greatest travel time reduction to high schools, while the Rush Line area experiences significant travel time reductions to grocery destinations.
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    Collaboration in mitigating spatial and skills mismatch: Exploring shared understandings between transit planners and workforce professionals
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Guthrie, Andrew; Burga, Fernando; Fan, Yingling
    Transit-dependent workers frequently find themselves caught between spatial mismatch (a lack of transportation options to reach jobs one is qualified for) and skills mismatch (a lack of needed qualifications for jobs one can reach). Historically, policy responses to these twin problems have essentially been siloed, with some responses focused on improving disadvantaged workers' mobility and others on skills training. Using the Twin Cities as an example of a healthy regional economy with areas of persistent disadvantage, this paper addresses the following research question: How do transit planners and workforce development professionals perceive the issues of spatial and skills mismatch and collaboration? This analysis explores this question through in-depth interviews with 16 transit planners and workforce development providers involved with one or more of seven study areas. The authors create an explanatory typology of areas to address with integrated transit planning and workforce development, interpret informants’ intersubjective understandings of the state of efforts, and apply Innes and Booher’s Diversity-Interdependence-Authentic Dialogue (DIAD) model of collaborative rationality to explore opportunities for deepening collaboration. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to connect marginalized workers with broader opportunities through transit planning and workforce development collaboration.
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    Planning for Disruption: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2019-09) Burga, Fernando; Fisher, Tom
    The future of transportation is inseparable from the future of work. Over the last century, transportation has focused on moving people and goods, but work in the 21st century has started to change dramatically due to vehicle automation, changing consumer patterns, and the rise of virtual retail. These factors will bring profound changes in transportation, infrastructure, and access to resources in the city, including housing, food, public spaces, and labor opportunities. This research project investigated the implications of the forthcoming changes in transportation, mobility, and the nature of work. It focused on the impact of vehicle automation on jobs access and explored the tensions that arise as new vehicle automation technologies are introduced into the streets of neighborhoods with historically disadvantaged residents.
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    Spatial and Skills Mismatch of Unemployment and Job Vacancies
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2016-05) Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew; Das, Kirti Vardhan
    Disadvantaged urban workers often find themselves in a double bind. They may be qualified for many entry-level jobs, but have no way of reaching suburban employment centers; they may also be easily able to reach many jobs nearby, but lack the qualifications for them. These two statements describe the interconnected problems of spatial mismatch and skills mismatch. This report studies the current state of spatial and skills mismatch in the region, as well as coordination between transit planning and workforce development and opportunities to improve that coordination. The research finds greatly varying transit access to job vacancies across the region, with some disadvantaged areas having relatively low access. Proposed transit improvements would have modest regional effects on spatial mismatch, but large localized benefits in disadvantaged areas. Important "sweet spots" for workforce development exist, defined as in-demand occupations with low education requirements that are likely to pay a living wage. Transit planners and workforce development professionals both call for greater coordination between their fields. The report recommends redefining "accessible jobs" based on transit access, not geography, considering every stage of connecting workers with jobs, from what skills they have, to what training is available, to what jobs can be reached by transit, as well as collecting regional data on job seekers' skills. The report also recommends identifying employers with labor supply problems, considering disadvantaged workers’ complex schedules, engaging with TMO's and pursuing creative first mile/last mile solutions to connect workplaces with transit lines, as well as pursuing transit-oriented economic development.
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    Telecommuting during COVID-19: How does it shape the future workplace and workforce?
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2022-03) Qian, Xinyi; Linscheid, Neil
    The objective of this research is to assess the impact of temporarily shifting the workforce to telecommuting on: (1) workplace policy changes, employee support, and future telecommuting plans, (2) employees' experience of telecommuting during COVID-19 and forecast of future telecommuting, and (3) differences among geographic areas, life circumstances, and demographic characteristics. The project employed a mixed-method approach, doing focus groups of human resources professionals in April 2021 and surveying workers and employers during the July through September 2021 period. Worker survey: Greater Minnesota respondents were more likely to telecommute no more than one day a week post-pandemic, while Twin Cities respondents were more likely to telecommute two to three days a week. Those with one or more children living at home were more likely to have a formal post-pandemic telecommuting agreement with their employers. Baby boomers were the most likely to telecommute four to five days a week post-pandemic. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to telecommute no more than one day a week post-pandemic. Employer survey: 71.4% of respondents indicated that most employees would return to in-person work post-pandemic, and 24.4% indicated the employers would only support infrequent (less than one day a month) telecommuting post-pandemic. Roughly a quarter indicated their organizations may recruit completely remote talent from outside of Minnesota. Employer representatives, compared to worker survey respondents, were much more likely to indicate their organizations had not developed a telecommuting policy for the future at the time of the survey. Worker survey respondents were much more likely to indicate that employers would support telecommuting anywhere between one and five days a week.
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    Workforce Planning and Human Resource Development Strategies for Minnesota's Public Transportation Agencies
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2021-03) Bartlett, Kenneth; Collins, Joshua; Hart-Mrema, Tasha S.; Valesano, Michael
    This study explored and examined possible causes of the workforce shortage in Minnesota’s transportation industry. Appropriate human resource strategies were proposed in response. Four interrelated approaches were undertaken: 1) a literature review, 2) a questionnaire, 3) audio interviews, and 4) integration of data to generate recommendations for Minnesota’s public transportation agencies. The findings showed a general level of agreement for a shortage of qualified individuals. Generational differences in the context of the transportation industry appeared to operate differently than in other sectors. Additional investigation will be needed to further examine whether differences in perceptions are more prominent at the industry or organizational level. When asked about recruitment strategies implemented by their agency, 17.4% of respondents reported that nothing was being done. The stated benefits of working for public agencies included job stability, set work hours for some positions, and work-life balance. Constraints of working in the public sector largely dealt with inflexible regulations, politics, and the complex barriers to new employee integration. Interviewees expressed overall satisfaction with their agency, but several noted problems that reflected bureaucratic policies. Standard pay scales, preferences for seniority, and lack of transparency for job roles were believed to be significant issues. In this report, we recommended a holistic approach to developing Minnesota’s public transportation industry through purposive change that focuses on existing opportunities related to the state’s and the nation’s changing demographics, as well as significant shifts related to the meaning and purpose of work.