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What are the key features of the job guarantee proposal?
- Permanent program with a demand-driven access. The job guarantee is a new and inclusive program that provides employment opportunities irrespective of the economic cycle to all job seekers on the principle that no one is unemployable. Its demand driven design ensures that the program acts as an economic stabilizer.
- Direct net new job creation. The program closes the jobs gap in the economy by creating new employment opportunities directly. It does not displace or subsidize existing public or private sector workers.
- Centrally funded and locally administered. The program is funded by the central fiscal authority. It is administered by member states, in conjunction with municipalities, localities, and other stakeholders who create local public service jobs that address local needs.
- Public money for the public good. Employment opportunities are created in the public service sector to address areas of social and environmental concern. It is not a subsidy for private sector hiring.
- Voluntary and non-punitive. The job guarantee is “fair work” not “workfare.” Participation in the job guarantee is strictly voluntary. No person shall lose existing social benefits if they do not participate in the program.
- Productivity-enhancing and empowering. The program provides training, education, credentialing, as well as job placement and other assistance with transitioning to different employment opportunities.
- An equity-driven care economy. The job guarantee offers fair and open access to employment to all. It provides support services to help remove barriers to access. It prioritizes the needs of people, communities, and the environment.
- Decent wages for decent work. The job guarantee establishes a floor to wages and benefits that would support a dignified standard of living. It provides safe and healthy working conditions and full worker rights.
- Preventative and stabilizing. The program protects the economy from recessions, external shocks or structural shifts. It maintains full employment and family incomes and invests in human capital and workforce development. It prevents jobless recoveries and the social and economic costs of mass unemployment and poverty.
- Bottom-up design. The job guarantee fosters broad engagement and participation from local communities, allowing them to propose, create, and manage projects. It creates tangible community benefits, improves conditions in disinvested urban and rural communities, strengthens environmental health and sustainability, and invests in cultural and artistic assets.
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