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What does it take to build careers with higher wages, less risk of unemployment, better benefits, more autonomy over work conditions, and the ability to build savings?
In 2020, The DeBruce Foundation initiated annual research to assess patterns of employment, income, and work conditions in America. Across six years with more than 48,000 participants, the findings remain consistent–there are two key components in building empowered careers: Career Literacy and Network Strength.
Explore the insights below to learn about the importance of Employment Empowerment and how we can build empowered careers.
The 2025 Employment Empowerment Study reveals that just over 40% of working-age Americans have both Career Literacy and strong networks. Those with Career Literacy and Network Strength…
- Are 34% more likely to be currently employed
- Consider 26% more jobs outside of their career path
- Earn $44,000 more in average annual earnings
Read the 2024 Employment Empowerment Study to learn about the impact of Employment Empowerment in 2024 on annual earnings, the likelihood of being employed, the number of careers one considers, and more.
Start Early, Succeed Sooner: Insights from the 2023 Employment Empowerment Study highlights the compounding effects of developing career literacy and strong networks in younger people.
The 2022 report, Working Smarter: Driving Employment Empowerment with Career Literacy and Networks, first identified Career Literacy and Network Strength as key factors in building empowered careers.
