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Our Research

Insight and strategies to build an inclusive and sustainable workforce by recognizing the skills and potential of STARs

Barriers and Breakthroughs: Framework to Improve STAR Economic Mobility

Barriers and Breakthroughs: Framework to Improve STAR Economic Mobility

Reach for the STARs: Skills and Economic Mobility in the AI Economy

Reach for the STARs: Skills and Economic Mobility in the AI Economy

Navigating with the STARs: Reimagining Equitable Pathways to Mobility

Navigating with the STARs: Reimagining Equitable Pathways to Mobility

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Our data on STARs changed the national conversation around workforce.

Opportunity@Work’s analytical and research capabilities inform the nation’s understanding of STARs' potential in the labor market and uncover insights that show how to make positive economic change within regions and industries, and within groups of STARs.

Our research has been featured in:

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STARs in the Workplace: How a Gap in Talent Development Hurts Employers and STARs
Research
STARs in the Workplace: How a Gap in Talent Development Hurts Employers and STARs

Workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) other than a bachelor’s degree demonstrate valuable skills on the job, but the vast majority don’t get the opportunities to develop their full potential. Why not?

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Rise with the STARs: Building a stronger labor market for STARs, communities, and employers
Research
Rise with the STARs: Building a stronger labor market for STARs, communities, and employers

Our report, Rise with the STARs: Building a Stronger Labor Market for STARs, Communities, and Employers, shows the impact of degree discrimination on employers and STARs and identifies a better path forward for everyone.

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Navigating with the STARs: Reimagining Equitable Pathways to Mobility
Research
Navigating with the STARs: Reimagining Equitable Pathways to Mobility

The COVID-19 crisis lays bare the deficiencies in our labor market. STARs comprise two thirds of our essential workforce and yet they continue to experience the decades-long trends in wage decline and limited upward mobility. We must reimagine our approach to our workforce to achieve an equitable recovery.

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Black STARs: Spotlight on Black STARs: Insights for Employers to Access the Skilled and Diverse Talent They’ve Been Missing
Research
Black STARs: Spotlight on Black STARs: Insights for Employers to Access the Skilled and Diverse Talent They’ve Been Missing

There are more than 70 million STARs–workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes, rather than through a bachelor’s degree–in the American workforce. They include millions of Black STARs who have the skills employers seek to fill in-demand jobs, and yet these workers are missing from traditional talent pipelines.

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Essential STARs: Across Most Essential Roles, STARs Are The Majority
Research
Essential STARs: Across Most Essential Roles, STARs Are The Majority

Two-thirds of essential workers are Skilled Through Alternative Routes. As we work to recover, the rich, untapped talent pool of STARs' skills is critical — and essential.

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Hispanic STARs: Smart Employers Aim for Hispanic STARs
Research
Hispanic STARs: Smart Employers Aim for Hispanic STARs

Hispanics represent almost one in five workers in the workforce and they are overrepresented in lower-wage occupations. A majority of Hispanic workers are STARs: they are Skilled Through Alternative Routes such as community colleges, apprenticeships, and on-the-job learning. Efforts to expand job pathways for STARs will increase economic mobility for Hispanic workers.

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STAR Research Community

Activating a collaborative community of researchers

We conduct our own research, but that’s only the beginning. We also seek out and encourage the participation of research partners and collaborators.

Our goal? To inspire others to pursue new research—and question conventional wisdom on our workers, talent management practices, and workforce development. Over time, the available data and insights will multiply, delivering answers to every question that’s at the heart of economic mobility for STARs.

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Our Research Partners

Senior Advisors to Opportunity@Work’s STARs Research Network

Adina Sterling

Associate Professor of Management

Erica Groshen

Former Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Peter Q. Blair

Assistant Professor, Harvard University

STAR Stories

Read about the barriers, challenges, and possibilities that STARs are seeing today — and why they're hopeful for a brighter future.

Read STAR Stories

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