What many believe is a thing of the past is in fact an ever-growing crisis, with life and death consequences for children across the US.

In a wave of rollbacks, at least 10 states have passed laws to restrict child labor protections in the last couple of years. Today, children as young as 13 are working grueling jobs that put their health, safety, and development at risk — in meatpacking plants, warehouses, and tobacco fields instead of schools. Migrant children especially are at risk of being exploited. Many arrive in the US without parents or guardians, lacking legal protections or a support system. These children are often funneled into the most dangerous sectors of the labor market, where oversight is weak and accountability is rare. Over the last several years, there have been numerous reports about children being seriously injured or killed working in incredibly dangerous conditions.

In this event — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on November 19, 2025 — we explore how we arrived at the current landscape of child labor; what it means in the current context; and how we can protect children moving forward and explore what policymakers, child advocates, and labor advocates can do to address weakening child protections.

This conversation includes opening remarks from Yesenia Cuello (Co-founder, NC Field), followed by a panel discussion with Ron Estrada (Chief Executive Officer, Farmworker Justice), Reid Maki (Director, Child Labor Advocacy, National Consumers League), Nina Mast (State Economic Analyst, Economic Policy Institute), Charlie Wishman (President, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO), and moderator Kristina Cooke (Journalist, Reuters).

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website.

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This event is part of our Opportunity in America series.

With more than 40% of workers in the US employed by businesses with more than 1,000 employees, many look to the outsized influence these employers can have on how we design work and jobs. As a result, engaging and collaborating with these businesses where possible is necessary to improving job quality and working conditions.

While their size and scale offers job quality practitioners the potential for big changes, engaging large businesses in job quality and strategies that improve conditions for their workforces presents unique challenges as well. Complex decision-making processes and implementation challenges, wide-ranging organizational needs and incentives, and an array of other potential barriers can make it difficult to navigate for those looking to engage and collaborate with big businesses on improving job quality.

In this event, which took place on October 9, 2025, we examine the challenges and strategies for engaging and supporting large businesses in actively influencing positive economic outcomes for their employees. Our speakers include Ellen G. Frank-Miller (Founder & CEO, Workforce & Organizational Research Center), Scotland Nash (Director, Talent Rewire, FSG), Cindy Williams (Executive Director, WorkLife Partnership), and moderator Matt Helmer (Director, Job Quality and Worker Well-Being, Economic Opportunities Program, The Aspen Institute).

This event is part of our Job Quality in Practice webinar series.

For more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

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As employers know, finding the right employee for a role can be difficult even during the best of times. Meanwhile, many workers with the right experience are locked out entirely because they lack the prescribed degrees or traditional academic credentials. Skills-based talent development brings these two together, benefiting both job seekers and organizations.

Framing talent development around defined skills, rather than only degrees, can reduce disparities in career opportunities while increasing productivity and agility in business operations. Forward-looking organizations — for-profit, nonprofit, and public — are increasingly adopting practices that are characteristic of this approach, such as: defining job qualifications by skills and knowledge, sourcing candidates beyond customary channels, eliminating biases in hiring and selection, and maintaining a culture that reflects an organization-wide commitment to inclusion, job quality, and mobility.

So what does it take for a business to walk the talk in skills-based talent development? It takes collaboration, internal systems change, and commitment to equity. BMO Bank partnered with Cara Collective, a comprehensive workforce development nonprofit, to get qualified talent through the door and on the path to economic mobility.

In this event — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on September 26, 2025 — we hear their story and learn practical tips for removing barriers to opportunity for workers. Our speakers include Liana Bran (Cara Plus), LaKeita Burns (BMO Bank), Paris Roney (BMO Bank), and Dee Wallace (The Aspen Institute).

For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.

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This event draws on insights from our Workforce Leadership Academies.