Peter Mannino is a Data Analyst at the California Policy Lab, where he focuses much of his time on research on labor and the social safety-net, including unemployment insurance and the role it played in supporting Californians during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes identifying important topics within the UI system for further research, cleaning and analyzing data, designing informative data visualizations, and drafting reports. Through this work, CPL is providing policymakers with a clearer understanding of how unemployment benefits supported workers during the pandemic while also highlighting how the entire system could be made more equitable and accessible. Peter is particularly interested in understanding the barriers that workers face in receiving UI benefits and developing solutions to overcome those barriers.

Peter’s interest in unemployment insurance and the social safety net stems from his personal experience with these programs and how important they were in helping his family through difficult times when he was younger. After spending several years focused on data analytics in the private sector, Peter wanted to refocus his career on public service and improving policies and programs, which is why he went to graduate school for a masters degree in public policy. While completing his masters degree, Peter worked as a research assistant at the USC Urban Data Lab focusing on racial and environmental equity.

Since joining CPL, he has co-authored several CPL reports on unemployment, including examining the employment outcomes of California UI recipients during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and a report on disparities in access to UI as part of the inaugural U.S. Department of Labor’s Summer Data Challenge on Equity and Underserved Communities.

He holds a BA in economics and political science from Hofstra University and received his Masters of Public Policy from the University of Southern California. When he’s not working, Peter is an avid hiker and swimmer who has participated in open-water races in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.