William M. Rodgers III
Vice President and Director, Institute for Economic Equity
William M. Rodgers III is vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Before joining the Fed, Rodgers served as professor of public policy and chief economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. His areas of expertise include compensation, pay equity, diversity and inclusion, labor market and general economic trends.
Rodgers is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and served as the Academy’s board chair for the last five years. Rodgers also serves as treasurer for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. He is a non-resident fellow at The Century Foundation and has served in many public capacities, including on President Obama’s Department of Labor transition team, and as chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor from 2000 to 2001. He served on the National Economic Association Board and is a past president. Rodgers also served on the U.S. Board of United Way Worldwide and currently works on the Board of Trustees of McDaniel College. He served at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as a visiting scholar and chairs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s expert panel to evaluate the quality of compensation data collected from U.S. employers by the EEOC.
He has published articles in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, the Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, the Review of Black Political Economy, and Family Economics and Nutrition Review. His book, The Handbook on the Economics of Discrimination, was selected by Choice, the review journal of the American Library Association, as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2006.
Rodgers has been called upon for articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Financial Times and many other publications. He has been a guest on numerous television and radio shows, including MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, CNBC, NPR’s Marketplace, Weekend Edition and America Amplified.
Featured Publications
- The State of Economic Equity: Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing Economic Security among U.S. Young Adults
with Nishesh Chalise, Violeta Gutkowski, Alice L. Kassens, Ana H. Kent, William M. Rodgers III, and Nicole Summers-Gabr, St. Louis Fed, March 26, 2024 - The History of the U.S. White-Black Wage Gap from 1969 to Now
St. Louis Fed, Open Vault, Jan. 17, 2024 - ALICE Households Face Continued Challenges despite Tight Job Market
On the Economy, August 22, 2023 - Labor Market Opportunities for Black Men: How Good Is the News?
with Alice L. Kassens, St. Louis Fed, Regional Economist, July 12, 2023 - Mental Health during the Pandemic
with Alice L. Kassens, St. Louis Fed, Economic Equity Insights, May 9, 2023 - Inflation, Softer Jobs Market Challenge Vulnerable Workers
with Sophia Scott, St. Louis Fed, On the Economy, April 20, 2023
Short Articles
- The New Challenges to Economic Equity in 2023
On the Economy, Feb. 21, 2023 - Despite a Tight Labor Market, Job Opportunities Lag for Eighth District Out-of-School Young Adults
with Nishesh Chalise and Alice L. Kassens, Regional Economist, Nov. 17, 2023 - Inflation, Softer Jobs Market Challenge Vulnerable Workers
with Sophia Scott, On the Economy, April 20, 2023 - What Does the Beveridge Curve Tell Us about the Labor Market Recovery?
with Alice L. Kassens, On the Economy, July 14, 2022 - Out-of-School Young Adults Faring Poorly in Economic Slowdown
On the Economy, Nov. 29, 2022 - The Beveridge Curve and Structural Barriers in the Labor Market
with Alice L. Kassens, On the Economy, Oct. 20, 2022 - Vulnerable Workers and the State of the U.S. Labor Market
On the Economy, Sept. 2, 2022 - What Is the Key to Improving Worker Resiliency in the Labor Market?
On the Economy, Aug. 30, 2022 - Reducing Racial Employment Gaps for Young Adults without College Education
On the Economy, May 26, 2022 - Young Adults without College Education See Uneven Jobs Recovery
On the Economy, May 17, 2022 - Celebrating Women’s Accomplishments and Supporting Their Economic Prosperity
with Ana H. Kent, Open Vault, March 30, 2022 - Economic Instability and the Social Determinants of Black Health
Open Vault, Feb. 23, 2022 - Setting the Stage for Economic Equity in 2022
On the Economy, Feb. 15, 2022 - The Great Retirement: Who Are the Retirees?
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Jan. 4, 2022 - The Current Labor Market for Workers with a Disability
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Nov. 23, 2021 - Monitoring the Recovery of Vulnerable Workers and Their Families
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Oct. 14, 2021 - The Enduring Regional Economic Challenges Associated with the Pandemic
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Sept. 9, 2021 - Labor Day Reflections on the COVID-19 Recovery
On the Economy, Sept. 2, 2021
Podcasts
- Economic Equity: The Institute for Economic Equity
Timely Topics: Economic Equity podcast miniseries, Sept. 29, 2021
