We have all heard people say, ‘People these days don’t want to work.’ It’s a quick and easy answer to the question of why companies struggle to find good, qualified workers. It’s also an answer that does not consider the difficult truths and realities embedded within the workforce system. 

In her speech, ‘The Difficult Truths of Employment,’ Daily Work Executive Director Julie Hoff dives into the job search experiences of immigrants, refugees, lower-skilled workers, aging workers, and people of color. As our native-born populations age, immigrants offer our communities an economic lifeline. Yet the perceptions, definitions, and processes that govern who and how we hire are not infallible. In fact, much of our system is deeply flawed and contains biases, misperceptions, and misunderstandings that prevent good people from securing good jobs.

For anyone looking to go beneath surface-level answers to better understand the barriers to the workforce that deter workers and hold back economic progress, this 60-minute video of the Steps to Success event is for you.