Small Business Quality Job Framework in Partnership with Jobs for the Future

In partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), Main Street Assembly developed a practical framework to help small businesses provide quality jobs while remaining competitive in the post-COVID labor market. The effort focused on identifying job-quality practices that meaningfully improve worker outcomes and rigorously testing them against the financial, operational, and capacity constraints small businesses face—ensuring the framework was realistic, adoptable, and sustainable.

The engagement included:

• Partnering with JFF to define quality jobs principles for small business contexts

• Identifying high-impact job-quality practices across the market

• Stress-testing practices against industry-specific financial and operational constraints

• Developing and refining multiple framework prototypes

• Conducting interviews with small business owners and intermediaries

• Disseminating surveys to validate feasibility and relevance

• Focusing on restaurant and retail industries across multiple regions

• Integrating employer and intermediary feedback into the final framework

Outcomes included:

• A small business–ready quality jobs framework grounded in real operating conditions

• Practices that support employee economic mobility, wellness, and satisfaction

• Improved retention and productivity outcomes for participating businesses

Partner organization: Jobs for the Future (JFF)