Good jobs are the backbone of our economy, and they provide employees with the means to support a family--without government assistance.  Good jobs provide the opportunity to achieve a good quality of life.

As the global economy has shifted and workplace standards have failed to keep pace, good jobs are harder to find in our communities. 

In 2006, metro Denver employed approximately 1.3 million workers.  Of those, almost 600,000 workers had jobs that paid  below $16.83 per hour, Denver's area median wage.  Based on forecasts to 2015, almost one of every two new jobs in the Denver  Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) will be in low-wage sectors.

FRESC works to maintain and expand good jobs through a campaign to Rebuild the American Dream and through most of our multi-issue Responsible Development campaigns.  FRESC also participates in broader efforts to expand job opportunity, such as Construction Workforce initiatives and the Apollo Alliance.

The following pages provide background information, definitions, and resources for many of the policy mechanisms used to secure good jobs.

Job Gap Information 2009

• Colorado Fact Sheet: Job Seekers Outnumber Living Wage Jobs
• Media Release: Recession Crowds Colorado's Job Market
• Northwest Federation of Community Organizations: Searching for Work that Pays