It’s Time for a Grand Bargain for Jobs, Economic Growth

by Secretary Tom Perez on August 2, 2013

The July jobs report shows that our economy continues to improve, modestly but steadily. The unemployment rate inched downward to 7.4 percent, the 11th straight month under 8 percent and the lowest level in more than four and a half years, since December 2008. The private sector added 161,000 new jobs in July, marking the 41st straight month of private-sector job growth and a total of 7.3 million new private-sector jobs added over that time period.

 

Monthly Change in Total Private Employment, Feb. 2008 - July 2013. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics Program.

US Labor Department awards more than $64 million to states to help expedite the re-employment of Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries

Grants awarded to 38 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia

The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded approximately $64.3 million to 38 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia to implement or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for individuals who receive unemployment benefits.
 
"The grants announced today will help individuals and families facing unemployment get back to work quickly," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "This is a win-win-win for those looking for work, employers who want to pay less taxes and states struggling to control their budgets."

The funds will be used to provide UI beneficiaries with personalized, re-employment plans based on the claimant's career interests and local labor market information. These assessments are done in-person and participants will receive referrals to re-employment services and/or training provided by the American Job Center. The program will also allow for a complete review of the claimants eligibility for UI benefits, to help reduce incidences of improper payments.
 
Two new states, Connecticut and Delaware, along with the Virgin Islands are receiving grants to implement an REA program while 36 additional states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are being awarded additional funds to continue their programs.
 
A recent report by Impaq International found strong evidence showing that re-employment and eligibility assessments expedite the return of the unemployed to the workforce. This report showing the positive impact and effectiveness of REAs can be found on the department's website at http://s.dol.gov/RK.

Click here to view a chart listing the states receiving awards and grant amounts follows this release. 

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

US Department of Labor announces $58 million in state grants to train dislocated workers

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $58 million in funding to 30 states for expanded training of dislocated workers so they can acquire industry-recognized credentials that lead to new career opportunities. The grants to states will support on-the-job training, customized training, registered apprenticeships and other approaches that connect individuals with employers, with a focus on providing these services to those in long spells of unemployment.

"While economic conditions continue to improve across the country, millions of workers still face barriers in returning to work," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "These federal funds will strengthen the capacity of the states' workforce investment systems to deliver critical work-based learning and training to thousands of unemployed Americans."

States were invited to apply for the one-time funding in May and were asked to prioritize training efforts on workers who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer and were also encouraged to provide services to workers who are likely to soon exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits. The funding is being provided through Dislocated Worker Training National Emergency Grants, in recognition of high number of long-term unemployed individuals and the continuing negative impacts of widespread, small layoffs across the country.

Dislocated workers often have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, such as when layoffs result from the permanent closure of an office or plant. Today's announcement reflects a commitment by the department's Employment and Training Administration to help dislocated workers become re-employed and to continue support for the nation's economic recovery.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor's discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state's ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information about the grants, visit http://www.doleta.gov/layoff/.

The chart below lists the grant amounts by state:

State	Award
Alabama	$1,192,254
Alaska	$1,200,000
California	$1,784,413
Delaware	$1,439,897
Florida	$1,437,743
Hawaii	$1,769,095
Idaho	$675,882
Illinois	$3,577,056
Indiana	$2,343,780
Kansas	$768,133
Kentucky	$1,240,897
Massachusetts	$2,872,496
Michigan	$3,484,453
Minnesota	$1,075,633
Mississippi	$1,132,695
Missouri	$2,037,558
Montana	$1,402,065
Nevada	$1,870,000
New Jersey	$2,500,000
New York	$1,427,560
Ohio	$3,413,653
Oregon	$2,616,342
Pennsylvania	$3,606,703
Rhode Island	$1,058,814
South Carolina	$1,200,254
South Dakota	$418,000
Texas	$4,428,052
Virginia	$1,249,991
Washington	$2,702,646
Wisconsin	$2,073,935

Source: DOL

 

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

 

 

 

 

Unemployment Insurance legislation in North Carolina

Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris today issued the following statement regarding North Carolina House of Representatives Bill 4:

"The North Carolina legislature is considering legislation that would reduce state Unemployment Insurance benefits. If enacted, the legislation also would cut off all federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation — that is, benefits after 26 weeks of unemployment — to 170,000 unemployed North Carolinians. This cutoff is automatic under federal law. I have no discretion to stop it. As a result, families struggling to secure their place in the middle class will suffer a grievous blow, and the state's economy will lose $780 million in federal funds that are vital to reducing North Carolina's high unemployment rate.

"We know that for every dollar spent on Unemployment Insurance benefits, nearly two dollars are generated in the local economy. Unemployed workers and their families spend these benefits in local grocery stores and small businesses, and use them to stay current on mortgage or rent payments and utilities. For these reasons, UI programs are vital to economic growth in difficult times, particularly in states like North Carolina with high unemployment rates."

Source: U.S. DOL
 
This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on unemployment among veterans

From a March 20 statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis:

"President Obama has put into place critical programs that will help our veterans. They include the Vow to Hire Heroes Act, which provides unemployed veterans with additional GI Bill benefits to qualify for jobs in high-demand sectors; the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, which provides incentives to businesses to hire unemployed veterans; and the Wounded Warrior Tax Credit, to encourage the hiring of veterans with service-connected disabilities.

"At the Labor Department, we have introduced the Veterans Gold Card to provide veterans with enhanced, priority services at 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers across the country; My Next Move for Veterans, so that veterans may go online and match their military occupations with civilian jobs; and the Veterans Job Bank Resource Directory, which allows veterans to search more than 500,000 job postings by companies.

"Our veterans have made sacrifices on behalf of the nation, and I ask all employers to renew their commitment to veterans, because the best way to honor our veterans is to employ them. No veteran should have to fight for a job at home after fighting to protect our nation."

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This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.