In 1791, New Jersey welcomed the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures, a unique quasi-governmental body launched to cultivate manufacturing along the Passaic River.

Beyond principles of fairness, the matter of gender pay equity concerns not only the sustenance and mobility of employees, but also the security of families and the strength of the overall economy. 

In 2012, New Jersey’s exports totaled $42.5 billion, which ranks 17th among all states and constitutes an 8.6-percent share of state GDP.

In New Jersey, several municipalities have established earned-sick-leave ordinances within their jurisdictions, while legislation regarding a statewide requirement also has progressed.

Unlike 28 other states, New Jersey does not provide a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), a policy to assist working families with costs incurred tending to the needs of a child or incapacitated adult. 

A workforce-development practice prominently and effectively deployed in international settings, apprenticeship has generated heightened interest in the United States.

In 2015, the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program introduced the category of advanced industries, sectors anchored by R&D and STEM activity that generate high-wage, high-growth, sustainable and inclusive employment.

With many of New Jersey’s residents shouldering the burden of student loans and with the state well served by attracting educated talent in high-growth fields related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the opportunity exists to address both issues.

While New Jersey’s history with pre-K can trace its origins to legal proceedings, the successful implementation represents the embrace of a policy that has strengthened the educational foundation supporting potentially disenfranchised children.

New Jersey’s overall position with respect to venture capital – money invested in startup firms with anticipated high-growth potential – has weakened as of late.

Three states – Tennessee, Oregon and Mississippi – have promoted, with varying outcomes, the provision of free community college to high-school graduates.

While governments at every level – local, state, national – determine how to meet fundamental needs with constrained resources, impact investing continues to mature into a vehicle for innovative, socially oriented enterprises.

The most recent recession constrained bank lending to small businesses, undermining the benefits historically afforded to the overall economy and middle-class citizens by these enterprises.

As one of 25 states with a companion program to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), New Jersey offers qualifying residents a credit of 30 percent of the federal benefit.

A modification to the tipped minimum wage would ensure that hard work pays for vulnerable segments of the working population, a disproportionate number of whom are women.

The absence of adequate savings for retirement, specifically among a significant number of middle-class workers in the private sector, presents an issue for New Jersey.

New Jersey’s percentage of long-term unemployed citizens far exceeds that of the national average and ranks second in the country, behind only Florida.

Potential changes at the federal level could increase the burden on states to promote policies related to energy efficiency.