As research and our own experience shows, the best way to improve conditions for children is to ensure their parents and caregivers have the resources and tools they need to be successful. That is why many John T. Gorman Foundation initiatives use a two-generation approach, which serves both children and their caregivers simultaneously. Importantly, the approach takes a comprehensive view in seeking to strengthen supports in five critical areas of family well-being: education, employment, social capital, physical/mental health, and wealth and asset development.

The Foundation looks to the most current data on these components of well-being, not only to assess the areas of greatest need, but to guide strategies that are responsive to what the trends are telling us. With Data Snapshots, we hope to share some of the statistics that are helping guide our work and that of our partners.

Earlier this year, we provided a snapshot on child and family mental health. Now, we turn to a critical area of economic well-being – employment. As the data shows, employment can be a powerful tool for dismantling poverty, but families vary in their ability to access it and benefit from it. Some face significant barriers to entering or advancing in the workforce, while others work hard but still do not earn enough income to provide everything their families need. The statistics and graphics below shine a light on these important issues, while offering possible options for addressing them.

Employment by the Numbers

Employment is an important tool in helping families achieve economic security and can be a contributing factor to whether a family experiences poverty. Clearly, working families are less likely to experience hardship than their non-working counterparts. However, not all jobs allow families access to the resources they need. In Maine’s tourism economy, for instance, many jobs are in lower-paying sectors.

This means that many work long and hard, but still do not earn enough to cover all of their families’ essential needs. A considerable number of working Maine households rely on assistance programs to secure essentials when income falls short, including SNAP benefits for food.

For parents and caregivers in lower-paying jobs, furthering their education can lead to better-paying career opportunities.

But it’s also important to acknowledge that there can be many barriers to entering or advancing in the workforce, especially for families with a single caregiver.

The lack of access and high costs of child care are major barriers to workforce participation. Other barriers include lack of transportation and benefit cliffs – which happen when an increase in family income triggers reduced eligibility for government programs that help families secure childcare, healthcare, food, and other necessities. More work is needed to address these barriers at all levels.

From Statistics to Strategies

The numbers on employment in Maine ultimately lead us to support strategies that help parents and caregivers enter the workforce, assist them along educational pathways to advance their careers and increase earnings, and remove barriers to pursuing opportunities and advancement.

This includes work at the practice level to provide families a foundation and support for pursuing employment and education. For example, Moving Families Forward uses a two-generation approach to help families set and meet their educational and career goals with the intention of increasing income and building savings.

Our strategies also include systems-level work to remove barriers – like addressing benefit cliffs and building childcare capacity – so that families across the state have a clearer path to strengthening their financial well-being.

Source links:

• Census Bureau Data
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Child Care Aware Fact Sheet
• Maine 2022 -Price Fact Sheet.pdf (childcareaware.org)