Occupational and economic mobility are crucial for a healthy economy that supports all. In this Connecting Communities webinar, learn more about the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Cleveland's Occupational Mobility Explorer (OME) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) tools. The OME sheds light on skills-based career pathways in the US labor market for jobseekers and employers. CLIFF tools help workers understand how career advancement decisions may affect public benefits, taxes, and tax credits. Together, these two tools can help workers and employers identify potential career advancement opportunities and better understand how such trajectories might better position them for greater economic stability.

The session provides a brief overview of each tool and demonstrates how they can be used together to help individuals understand their economic mobility journey. This includes a better understanding of their possible career paths and the potential financial implications of specific occupational choices. Panelists from organizations that use data resources, including these tools, shared their perspectives on skills-based hiring, helping workers navigate benefits cliffs, and ways to foster partnerships with employers.

Related resources:

• Occupational Mobility Explorer
• Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster
• Fed Communities' Benefits Cliff story series
• Powerful tool helps job seekers chart a path to higher-paying roles

How your community experiences the economy—whether you and your neighbors can access employment, afford your home or small business expenses, or save for future goals—matters to the Federal Reserve. Through its community development function, the Federal Reserve builds relationships and regularly engages with communities in every region of the country. The first-hand insights and real-time impressions of economic conditions that arise from these community connections help inform the Federal Reserve's work.

During this special conversation with Governor Michael S. Barr, the Federal Reserve Board's oversight governor for consumer and community affairs, we will explore the importance of community engagement. Governor Barr discusses how community engagement helps Fed decisionmakers better understand Americans' day-to-day-economic experiences, concerns, and opportunities. Hear more about Governor Barr's background in community development and its role in his work over the years. Learn more about what he is hearing from communities and businesses around the country and the value he and the Fed gain from these community insights.

Every two years, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks survey community development financial institutions (CDFIs) about industry conditions. During this Connecting Communities webinar, participants learned more about what CDFIs have shared, including:

• How demand for CDFI's products and services changed over the past year and how it might evolve in the future,
• How CDFIs leverage public funding to accomplish their work, and
• What challenges CDFIs encountered in meeting demand and delivering on their mission.

In addition to sharing the CDFI Survey results, Federal Reserve staff connected with community development leaders and financial institutions to gain a deeper understanding of economic conditions affecting a broad range of consumers, individuals, and businesses. Attendees hear more about this outreach, including how the Federal Reserve engages with local community development lenders and what we've learned from several CDFI success stories.

2025 CDFI Survey Key Findings Report: https://www.richmondfed.org/region_communities/regional_data_analysis/surveys/cdfi/survey_results/cdfi_survey_key_findings_2025

CDFI Survey Results Over Time: https://www.richmondfed.org/region_communities/regional_data_analysis/regional_matters/2025/cdfi_survey_results_over_time