America’s Low-Wage Workforce, Assess ing Zelenskiy’s Presidency, and More

November 8, 2019

More than 53 million people in the United States, or 44% of all workers ages 18 to 64, earn low hourly wages. Using data from 350 metro areas across the country, Martha Ross and Nicole Bateman shed light on who these workers are and offer strategies to help them advance to higher wages and greater financial stability.

In an accompanying report from the Center for Universal Education, Marcela Escobari, Ian Seyal, and Michael Meaney explore how “reskilling” can be used to improve the career prospects of America’s low-wage workers.

Ukraine is facing two major challenges at the moment: resolving the war with Russia and implementing economic and anti-corruption reforms. Drawing on conversations from a recent trip to the country, Steven Pifer provides insights on whether Ukrainians have faith in their new president to solve these issues.

“We are the only rich country in the world where mortality rates are going up rather than down.” Carol Graham discusses her research on deaths of despair—preventable deaths due to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol related disease—and highlights potential solutions to address isolation and loneliness in America.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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