New work rules and other reforms could help break the cycle of dependency. But to implement them, states need to move beyond a patchwork of programs that don’t talk to each other. Federal policymakers could help.
Several out-of-state manufacturers in the housing industry have announced plans to move to the state, citing Connecticut’s impressive talent pool of skilled workers. Currently, 162,800 workers have jobs in manufacturing in the state.
While some pandemic-related gaps and inequities in child-care access have been resolved, high cost and low availability continue to strain families across the state, creating barriers for many trying to return to the workforce.
Technical fixes can help, but there are other ways governments can make public service more attractive. Here are four promising approaches.
The Cuyahoga County Council is considering legislation that would bar businesses that have engaged in wage theft or payroll fraud from contracting with the county and will require contractors to undergo ethics training.
While most wealth gaps are part of entrenched racial disparities from generations ago, employee-owned co-ops, like the Atlanta-based Pecan Milk Cooperative, allow employees to build assets within their work.
The share of 16- to 19-year-olds not working is up 22.4 percentage points since 2021. Eleven states have sought to loosen child labor laws to help fill empty positions.
The persistently low salaries of state legislators often discourage citizens from serving in public office, especially as lawmakers face heavier workloads and greater demands on their time than in the past.
The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office predicts that labor market conditions will remain tight through 2025, prompting some employers to turn to foreign workers through federal immigration programs for help.
In 2021, the share of manufacturing employees across the state who were younger than 45 years old was at its highest level in at least a decade, at more than 52 percent. Some hope the negative stereotypes about the industry are changing.
The five states that have the most flexible work policies are liberal, wealthy and mostly coastal, while five Southern states with low union representation and minimal education have the highest percentages of in-person jobs.
Starting in September, the state will end the controversial practice of paying for remote state government employees’ travel to mandatory meetings. It’s unclear if the decision will impact pre-pandemic work policies.
Governments are struggling with high vacancy rates. Rather than trying to return to the pre-pandemic world, they should rethink how workers do their jobs to foster job satisfaction and more capable performance, an expert argues.
The renewable energy industry provided $38 billion to $106 billion in total benefits to Texas residents from 2010 to 2022 and the industry accounts for more than 42,000 jobs. Yet, the state is still defending fossil fuels.
Some states have encouraged or required labor peace agreements when establishing legal cannabis marketplaces. But employers don’t always adhere to them and penalties for misbehavior are weak. So far, 21 states allow recreational marijuana use.
At 14 of 16 executive branch agencies, the percentage of non-white employees is less than the share of the state’s minority population. A 2010 diversity requirement is now at odds with growing GOP suspicion of DEI efforts.
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