Skip to main content

About Us

We serve the public by pursuing a growing economy and stable financial system that work for all of us.

What We Do

Who We Are

Work With Us

Overview & Mission

The Ninth District

Our History

Tours

Contact Us

Region & Community

We examine economic issues that deeply affect our communities.

The Ninth District

Regional Economic Indicators

Community Development & Engagement

The Bakken Oil Patch

Beige Book

Research

We conduct world-class research to inform and inspire policymakers and the public.

Research Groups

Topics

Data & Reporting

Banking

We provide the banking community with timely information and useful guidance.

For Banks

Data & Reporting

Banking Topics

Contact Us

For Consumers

Large Bank Stress Test Tool

CDFIs

Banking in the Ninth archive

Policy

We explore policy topics that are important for advancing prosperity across our region.

Policy Topics

Monetary Policy

Economic Research

Community Development & Engagement

Labor Market Policies

Labor market policies and programs shape the rules governing the dynamics between employers and employees

Labor market policies and programs have important impacts on low- and moderate-income workers. Policies on occupational licensure and non-compete contracts—when poorly designed—can reduce opportunities to access good jobs. Workforce services programs and unemployment insurance aim to support workers while they look for those good jobs. We conduct research to provide leaders with high-quality information as they seek to remove barriers and improve outcomes for workers and the overall labor market. Our focus is on the impacts of both long-established labor market policies and new initiatives, such as guaranteed basic income programs.

Minneapolis Fed evaluation of the City of Minneapolis Guaranteed Basic Income pilot

In 2022, the City of Minneapolis began a guaranteed basic income pilot that included $500 monthly payments to 200 recipients over a two-year period. To learn what effects this pilot may have on its participants, the city selected the Minneapolis Fed to conduct a rigorous evaluation through a randomized controlled trial. The Minneapolis Fed’s role in this project is as a neutral, trusted research body working in the public interest to study policies affecting labor market dynamics in low- and moderate-income communities. Program evaluation and research insights are intended to inform policymakers, researchers, and others who seek to understand the potential impacts and tradeoffs of basic income programs.

Project resources:

1 – 12 of 43

Photo on left side of image: In a brightly lit meeting space, a seated woman wearing glasses and a light-colored suit gestures with her hands as she speaks to an unseen colleague. Illustration on right side of image: In a blank white space, an isolated woman in a dark suit stands with her hands on her hips as she gazes up at a set of massive, interlocking metal gears located above her.
Understanding Access to Unemployment Insurance
Event on April 9, 2025
Event
Left side of image: A woman in a turquoise short walks down a row of low-wall cubicles in an airy, brightly lit, but empty office space. Right side of image: Layered close-ups show a map of the United States, with the states outlined in white and filled in solid shades of blue, green, and orange; and visual details from the front side of a $20 bill.
How unemployment insurance access and benefits vary by state
Ayushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and Engagement Ryan Nunn | Assistant Vice President, Community Development and Engagement
January 7, 2025
Article
Institute paper key images
How Do Low-Income Households Respond to Basic Income? Experimental Evidence from Minneapolis
Andrew Goodman-Bacon | Senior Research Economist, Institute Vanessa Palmer | Data Director, Center for Indian Country Development
December 20, 2024
Research
Left side of image: As they head home from work with the sun slipping down in the sky behind them, workers stride through a crosswalk in the busy downtown area of a big city. Right side of image: Layered close-ups of a dollar bill, a stack of coins, and a store receipt, shown in tints of orange and green.
Examining unemployment insurance: Now is the time
Mary Hogan | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement
December 16, 2024
Article
On a downtown street in a large city, a young woman works at a laptop while seated at a sidewalk table outside a coffee house. She appears in profile, wears a dark coat and scarf, and has her hair piled in a loose bun on top of her head. In the background, pedestrians and traffic are visible but out of focus.
Pay transparency’s rise isn’t tied to expected explanations
Ayushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and Engagement
December 2, 2024
Article
Viewed from behind inside a brightly lit warehouse, two workers--a young woman and a young man--walk down an aisle between stacks of shelving. The woman has long hair, a navy blue jacket, and black pants, and the man has short hair, an orange safety jacket with reflective stripes, and navy blue pants.
Reducing workplace discrimination: Data help identify what doesn’t work
Ayushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and Engagement
June 26, 2024
Article
Indoors in an industrial building, a young male electrician wearing an orange down jacket, yellow safety vest, and yellow hard hat uses a screwdriver to adjust a component on an electrical panel.
Universal licensure recognition: A case study of Montana
Tyler Boesch | Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement (former) Mary Hogan | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement Ayushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and Engagement Ryan Nunn | Assistant Vice President, Community Development and Engagement
May 16, 2024
Article
Staff Reports
The Influence of Occupational Licensing on Workforce Transitions to Retirement
Morris Kleiner | Visiting Scholar Yun Taek Oh | University of Minnesota
April 17, 2024
Research
illustration of people reviewing a financial statement
Pay Transparency: Exploring the Research, Policies, and Implications for Low- and Moderate-Income Workers
Event on April 3, 2024
Event
A job seeker looking at job postings online
Pay transparency in job postings: Trends, trade-offs, and policy design
Mary Hogan | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement Ayushi Narayan | Economist, Community Development and Engagement Ryan Nunn | Assistant Vice President, Community Development and Engagement
March 26, 2024
Article
Two doors opening as people walk around in the background
Should you get unemployment insurance if you quit your job?
Jeff Horwich | Senior Economics Writer
February 15, 2024
Article
Framed by a gap in the shelving inside a warehouse, a female employee is seen inspecting boxes and checking their labels against a list she's carrying on a clipboard. She's wearing a light-blue, short-sleeved shirt and a white hard hat and has a neutral yet focused expression on her face.
Minnesota’s ban on non-competes marks historic change for low- and moderate-income workers
Mary Hogan | Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement Grace Ryan | Project Manager, Community Development and Engagement (former)
January 23, 2024
Article