Dear friends and colleagues,
Today The Data Center is releasing the sixth in a series of reports we are calling The New Orleans Index at Ten Collection. This report is contributed by Marla Nelson of University of New Orleans, Laura Wolf-Powers of City University of New York, and Jessica Fisch of Georgia Institute of Technology.
Despite New Orleans’ economic resurgence post-Katrina, many workers remain stuck in low-wage jobs. Nearly 60 percent of jobs in the region fail to pay high enough wages to cover the post-Katrina cost of living. In 40 census tracts in Orleans Parish, 80 percent or more of working residents are employed in low-wage jobs. Among the region’s low-earners, almost half commuted long distances to jobs outside of their home parish for work.
This essay lays out specific policies to alleviate working poverty and lift the working poor into the middle class. Clearly, the task of improving outcomes for low-earning workers is complex and will require significant investment. But if leaders make these investments, job openings in high-growth occupations can be filled by local residents, and more New Orleanians will be able to participate in the region’s post-Katrina economic recovery.
Learn more by checking out The New Orleans Index at Ten Collection - Persistent Low wages in New Orleans' Economic Resurgence: Policies for Improving Earnings for the Working Poor at:
Bringing you the data you need to make informed decisions,
The Data Center team
Allison Plyer, Nihal Shrinath, Rebecca Osakwe, Caroline Heffernan, and Vicki Mack,
