The Project for Middle Class Renewal’s mission is to investigate the working conditions of workers in today’s economy and elevate public discourse on issues affecting workers with research, analysis and education in order to develop and propose public policies that will reduce poverty, provide forms of representation to all workers, prevent gender, race, disability, and LGBTQIA discrimination, create more stable forms of employment, and promote middle-class paying jobs.

Policy Reports
The project for middle class renewal supports research by our post-doc research analysts, industry & union partners, and faculty of the labor education program. Research focuses include the gig economy, the child tax credit, wage and labor practices, and race, gender, & labor.
Policy ReportsGiving
Your gift helps fund our important research! Make a gift to the Project for Middle Class Renewal today!
Donate

Featured PMCR News
Governer Pritzker Cited Research from PMCR in his State of the State Address
“Let’s start with housing. The problem is clear – rent is too high, and home ownership is too far out of reach. The cause is clear, too. We are not building enough homes fast enough. The Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois issued a report last summer showing that we will need to build 227,000 more homes by 2030 to keep up with demand.”
Read the full transcriptTingting Zhang Presenting on PMCR Report in Chicago
Tingting Zhang recently presented at a virtual seminar in Chicago alongside the Illinois Department of Labor, sharing insights from the PMCR report on the Illinois Equal Pay Act.
The research, co-authored with Bob Bruno, highlights progress in narrowing gender wage gaps while underscoring continued disparities across industries and demographics.
Read the full report