Workforce
State and local governments face a tight labor market and a competitive disadvantage with the private sector. But salaries aren’t the only issue, with cities, counties and states all grappling with training, retention, remote work and increased union activity.
Fewer open positions stem from budget cuts and disappearing federal relief funds, not from solving the state’s chronic recruitment and retention challenges.
With nearly 40 percent of families with children in Hamilton County, Tenn., struggling to pay their bills, a new coalition aims to help and encourage employers to adopt flexible schedules, remote work, onsite child care and improved health-care benefits policies.
Municipal strikes have been rare for decades, but union activity in California suggest they might be making a comeback. Blame it on inflation and staff shortages.
For many workers, the e-commerce giant’s explanation that “serendipitous things can happen” while working in an office is not enough to justify an in-person return. But three months after the mandate, enforcement is unclear.
California is one of the few states that requires farmworkers working in the heat to have shade, water and rest, but those rules are often not followed. Additionally, 39 percent of workers reported having problems keeping their own homes cool.
Charter, the parent company of the area’s cable and broadband provider Spectrum, will cover 100 percent of tuition costs for workers pursuing a high school diploma, undergraduate or associate degree and some certificate programs.
Data from cities, counties and states reveals the roles they have the toughest time filling (and they’re not just in cybersecurity). Here are some of their innovative approaches to navigating these workforce shortages.
Following labor unrest with writers, actors and hotel workers, a one-day strike by city workers in Los Angeles was aimed at getting stalled negotiations going again. It also reflected a desire for respect.
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The Service Employees International Union Local 721 began its strike at 12:01 AM on Tuesday to protest unfair labor practices by city negotiators and management. The union represents more than 7,000 gardeners, mechanics, custodians, lifeguards, engineers and more.
Several states have changed their policies in an attempt to overcome the national lifeguard shortage, lowering the minimum lifeguard age and offering large bonuses. Many pools and beaches are implementing aggressive recruiting tactics.
Transit agencies are facing worker shortages around the U.S. A new report says reforming human resources practices can help hire, train and retain workers of all types.
School districts across the state are struggling to fill teaching staff vacancies, so much that many will violate a new state law requiring public school districts offer free pre-kindergarten education.
Across the country, turnover and vacancies are high. Counties are raising salaries but still can't compete with the private sector.
A survey of 112 of the state’s agencies found that more than half allow the vast majority of their employees to work remotely and 49 departments gave telework eligibility to 100 percent of their employees in May.
Shifting demographics and changing migration patterns have impacted the city, moving it toward the future with programs that reflect the country’s history of blending cultures.
Last September, more than 35 percent of Americans with disabilities, including nonvisible disabilities such as neurodivergence, had jobs, a record in the 15 years in which the federal government has kept track of such data.
There are approximately three dozen worker-owned businesses across the state and in nearly every sector of the economy. Experts predict that a new employee-ownership law will only increase that number.
The national share of employed women in their prime working age hit 75.3 percent in June, the highest recorded rate since the U.S. Census Bureau began reporting numbers in 1948.
Experts are calling for federal regulators to implement standards to protect outdoor workers from worsening air quality, such as monitoring air pollution and providing protective equipment if necessary.
The state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is implementing new, cutting-edge software tools to better help police agencies solve crimes, including drug detection, gun examination and forensics analysis.
A survey found that the average Texas employee working remotely would expect a bonus of more than $11,000 if forced to return to the office full time. Nationally, workers expect a $12,188 payment to return to an office.
Fourteen organizations across the state will receive part of $2.5 million in grant funding to help former inmates get back into the workforce. Two of the organizations are based in Lowell.
Despite low-wage workers receiving the largest pay increases in most states between 2019 and last year, more than 40 percent of U.S. households still struggle to afford basic expenses, such as health care and housing.
Wage theft, which can include not paying workers minimum wage, misclassifying workers to avoid paying overtime and taking tips meant for employees, is a $50 billion problem in the U.S.
The Lamont administration will investigate opportunities to sell some of its government properties and consolidate agencies into existing buildings with so many workers still working remotely.
The expansion of the Deferred Retirement Option Program will allow career government workers and educators to draw pensions while continuing to work for eight to 10 years but will cost the state an additional $350 million annually.
Law enforcement officials agree that 911 response merits a more nuanced approach. But powerful police unions are against proposals that might reduce their control over 911 operations, and the budget and staff that go with them.
Maine’s ambitious broadband expansion is creating demand for more workers to hang fiber. Women are increasingly responding to the opportunity.
Texas is the most recent state in which regulators have not required companies to offer their outdoor employees rest breaks with shade and water. Heat causes the most deaths of any extreme weather.
We’re already seeing the potential for what tools like ChatGPT can do to improve public services. It’s time for governments at all levels to invest in training their people in the technology.
