NPR seeks a labor and workplace reporter

NPR’s Business Desk is seeking a Labor and Workplace reporter/correspondent. The American workplace has become increasingly more complex in recent years, and the stories around these shifts couldn’t be more interesting in the current moment. From the rise of the gig workforce, an increase in labor activism, the wage gap by gender, race and education, or the ever-growing gulf between CEO vs worker pay and public sector activism…these stories are central to American life.

The fast-growing gig workforce – of Uber and Lyft drivers, Amazon and Whole Foods package and grocery deliverers – has especially mushroomed during the pandemic. This fast-growing category of the American workforce is made up of millions of jobs with little to no benefits, where wages can vary from day to day and month to month and workers have very little say in how business is conducted.

The pandemic is also dramatically reshaping office work, and many employers are starting to envision a workplace where employees may have a choice of where they work from in the future.

All this comes at a time of increased labor activism among minimum wage workers in fast food and retail and also among higher paid tech workers behind the gates of Silicon Valley’s sprawling office campuses. The movements have engendered a varied response – leading to increased minimum wages in dozens of states and cities in recent years and also a crackdown on burgeoning worker activism from large tech companies.

We’re looking for someone who can shine a spotlight on the cultural changes engendered by these shifts, the personalities leading the charge, and how all of these affect people’s personal and working lives, and how they shape society and the identity of a nation.

A love of storytelling is essential. The reporter will be expected to weave narratives based on interviews and anecdotes, economic data and analytics, corporate filings and court cases and documents.

Many stories will come from the coverage of these new labor movements and the response of the companies that control this new workforce.

The work of NPR’s Business Desk is featured on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, NPR.org, Up First, Here & Now, and NPR podcasts such as Planet Money, Planet Money’s Indicator and It’s Been A Minute.

The position is based in Washington, DC, and will involve travel for stories.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops, plans and reports news, feature and major enterprise stories for audio and web.
• Breaks and covers news as it happens, with authority and accuracy.
• Works on other stories assigned by Business Desk editors.
• Gathers materials on tape and otherwise, through interviews, press conferences, and direct coverage of events. Develops news sources.
• Participates in departmental planning for coverage on all programs and platforms.
• In consultation with editors and producers, organizes, edits and produces pieces and news spots.
• Collaborates with editors and show producers to shape two-ways and speaks fluently and conversationally live on the air.

To apply, go here.