Education gave Arnold Trevino a glimpse of what life could be. When Trevino was released from a California prison after serving 25 years for second-degree murder, he returned home with an associate degree in liberal arts.

Trevino is now paying it forward as a university outreach coordinator for Project Rebound, which helps connect formerly incarcerated Californians to college degrees.

The world of work is far from perfect, and the pandemic’s disruption, displacement, and sudden shift to remote work exposed even more shortcomings. More than two years into a reshaped labor market, the way we work has changed.

Thought leaders in workforce development, education, government, and nonprofits offer insight on what must happen to make the American labor market work better for everyone.

Postdoc positions are typically long, and the pay is usually below $60,000 per year for the temporary post.

For first-generation or low-income academics, these seemingly endless positions can push people out of their disciplines. Can accelerated pathways to tenure-track faculty appointments help? Some institutions are moving in that direction.