As ILR, we exist to improve the world of work, labor and employment by applying our research. We create community partnerships and training to improve workers' lives across the world – starting at home through New York State's land-grant mission.
Equitable Access to Work
Student Project: Applying for Unemployment Insurance (Video)
This video examines the unemployment insurance application and appeals process in New York. Including interviews with legal professionals and a former claimant, the video informs viewers on the steps of the UI application process, best practices when applying for UI and what to expect during the application and appeals process.
A Short History of Criminal Background Searches in Employment
Members of Cornell ILR School's Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative explain how the use of criminal background checks became a commonplace hiring practice in the US over time, bringing with it issues for job candidates as well as for employers and society at large.
Health Care Cooperatives Could Hold Key to Easing Elderly Caregiver Shortage
Home care cooperatives may be the key to alleviating the shortage of paid caregivers for older Americans, according to a new study co-authored by Ariel Avgar, Ph.D. ’08, and Dr. Madeline Sterling, A&S ’08, director of ILR’s Initiative on Home Care Work.
New Report: ILR’s Worker Institute Examines NYC’s Street Vending Laws
Cornell ILR’s Worker Institute recently published a new report, “Evaluating the Regulation and Reform Implementation of Street Vending Laws in New York City,” by Andrew B. Wolf and Dylan M. Hatch.
How AI Can be Implemented More Fairly in Home Health Care and Low-Wage Work Settings
New findings from the Initiative on Home Care Work at Cornell University’s Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW) points to how stakeholders can use AI more fairly in home health care and low-wage work settings.
'Stopping Forced Labor' eCornell Webinar: Jason Judd, Samira Rafaela and Kelly Fay Rodríguez on Global Forced Labor Regulations
Join Executive Director Jason Judd, GLI Visiting Fellow Samira Rafaela and Former Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Kelly Fay Rodríguez on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 1pm EDT for a keynote presentation on forced labor regulations around the world.
Cornell University's Cathy Creighton talks about women's experience in the workplace
Women working in Erie County simultaneously experience lower pay and more significant barriers to success relative to men, according to a new report released by the ILR Buffalo Co-Lab.
Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab and Erie County Commission on the Status of Women to Release Study On All Women's Equal Pay Day
The ILR Buffalo Co-Lab research project was undertaken in collaboration with the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women which is seeking to determine the extent of a gender wage gap in order make recommendation on how such wage inequities can be addressed and eradicated.
What the Proposed Rule to End Subminimum Wage Means for Workers with Disabilities
On December 3rd, 2024, the United States Department of Labor proposed a new rule to end the 14c waiver program for people with disabilities. The Yang-Tan Institute's Ellice Switzer responds to a Q&A on the new proposed rule.
Discovering that you owe the government thousands of dollars in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) overpayments can be life-disrupting. These overpayments happen at no fault of the beneficiary. Jennifer Brooks, a researcher at the Cornell ILR School's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, provides a personal account of this issue.
HR Tool Helps Job Applicants With Criminal Records Land Jobs
Cornell Chronicle
Cornell Human Resources plans to roll out a pilot of Restorative Records, an online tool where job applicants with criminal records can provide context about their past and details about their rehabilitation.
WI Faculty Awarded Einhorn Center Fellowship to Publish Research on Domestic Workers
Zoë West, senior researcher for worker rights and equity at Cornell ILR’s The Worker Institute (WI), has been selected as one of the Engaged Faculty Fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Matt is fascinated by the law and its relationship to disability and criminal justice. He is an energetic teacher and researcher in Cornell University’s ILR School, and he has taken on roles involving equity in employment.
Jennifer D. Brooks and Sarah von Schrader investigated how access to remote work for people with disabilities has been affected since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Restorative Record Enters Beta Stage For Second Chance Month
For Second Chance Month, Cornell ILR’s Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) launched a beta version of its Restorative Record, a digital hiring tool for justice-impacted job candidates to secure employment against exclusionary practices and stigma.
Register Today: Qualified But Denied: How Policy Change Can Expand Access to Employment for Justice-Impacted New Yorkers
Join us on Wednesday, April 24, for the Center for Applied Research on Work's webinar "Qualified But Denied: How Policy Change Can Expand Access to Employment for Justice-Impacted New Yorkers."
Registration now Open for Uniting on the High Road Conference
Register now and join Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, Partnership for the Public Good, national and local community and labor representatives for Uniting on the High Road: A Conference on Economic Justice at the Local Level on June 20-22, 2024, in Buffalo, NY.
Four people affiliated with ILR helped foster a $750,000 grant supporting the Ray Corollary Initiative's mission to increase diversity within the alternative dispute resolution profession.
Compensation Fund Could Boost NYS Child Care Industry
Cornell Chronicle
“The Status of Child Care in New York State,” a new report released by the Buffalo Co-Lab, finds that recent increases in state subsidies helped stabilize the industry through the pandemic, but were insufficient to reduce inequities in access and quality.
The Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability's Kaitlyn Jackson and Ellice Switzer discuss the practice of paying subminimum wages to people with disabilities.
Future of Work Provides Grant to Study Immigrant Workplace
Postdoctoral fellow Youbin Kang will work with Professors Gleeson and Griffith to research recent policy changes by the Department of Homeland Security.
Differences in wages and compensation are one of the primary sources of economic inequality. ILR's Anne Marie Brady and Russell Weaver explain prevailing wage, and why it matters.
GLI 2024: Change or Groundhog Day? What new research tells us about what works in global labor governance
Join the ILR Global Labor Institute in New York City to discuss three big topics: climate breakdown and global production, due diligence and lead firm liability, and identifying forced labor.
We explain how you can figure out a meaningful living wage for an area. We help make sense of the kinds of data you need, and link to calculators for more exploration.
ILR Faculty Featured on New Cornell Keynotes Podcast
Cornell Chronicle
JR Keller and Timothy McNutt will be featured on the recently launched eCornell Keynotes podcast, created to deliver a new audio option for audiences seeking knowledge from Cornell experts on current events and trending topics.
Lively Panel Launches Worker Institute’s New Prevailing Wage Report
Prevailing wage laws protect New Yorkers from a race to the bottom, panelists said during the launch of the new report by Cornell ILR’s The Worker Institute on Sept. 12.
Gleeson, Lyon Lead Project Studying Labor Migration Programs
A seven-year, multi-university partnership will examine migrant workers and international mobility programs in New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, Australia, Canada and the U.S.
Extreme heat and flooding are threatening key international apparel hubs, with four countries vital to the fashion industry facing losses of 1 million jobs and $65 billion in earnings by 2030, according to two new reports out of the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University.
Asia apparel hubs face $65 billion export hit from extreme weather, study shows
Reuters
"Among the suppliers and the buyers we talked to, not one had their eye on these two issues (heat and flooding)," said Jason Judd, executive director of Cornell Global Labor Institute.
New Department Reflects ILR’s Global Relevance, Academic Excellence
Drawing on faculty expertise in labor relations, labor law, anthropology, economics, history, political science and sociology, the Global Labor and Work Department studies workers, employers and the government policies affecting them.
ILR Professor Discusses Inclusive Hiring Practices for Neurodiverse Applicants
A recent profile by the American Psychological Association shares expert advice from Susanne Bruyère for recruiting and hiring people who are neurodiverse. It also discusses the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace.
Funding from K. Lisa Yang '74 will support innovative applied research projects and foster collaborations across Cornell to address important societal issues linked to work.
Matthew Saleh Wins Community-Engaged Practice and Innovation Award
Cornell Chronicle
Senior Research Associate at Yang-Tan Institute recognized for his work on career pathways for youth with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Cornell ILR Empire State Poll Shows New York State Residents, From Long Island to the North Country to Western NY, Support Strong Climate Action with High-Quality Job Creation
The Cornell ILR Empire State Poll (ESP) 2022 shows that over 68% of New York residents are concerned about the impacts of climate change and more than 70% of New Yorkers have been impacted by climate change in the past five years
Created by the Work Incentive Support Center in the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, a new website explains Supplemental Security Income work incentives.
Skinner presents at the White House Forum on Campus and Community-Scale Climate Change Solutions
Skinner, Executive Director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell ILR, presents at the White House Forum on Campus and Community-Scale Climate Change Solutions
Travel Worsens Poor Conditions For Rural Health Aides
Cornell Chronicle
Rural health care workers face challenges tied primarily to travel, which exacerbates poor working conditions already prevalent in the home care industry, according to a new Cornell study.
Advocating for Worker Health and Safety in the NFL
Since joining the National Football League Players Association as its general counsel & head of business, Sean Sansiveri ’05 has been behind the NFL’s most important measures to make the game safer.
The Cornell ILR Wage Atlas, a new tool out of the Buffalo Co-Lab, shows who in New York state earns living wages and where, helping policymakers and other stakeholders to understand patterns of inequality.