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.
Half the state's D.A. offices can't hire enough attorneys, with some vacancies remaining open for years.
The tech district known as Cortex promised that its training programs would add economic vitality to the region. But as a September deadline approaches, it’s unclear how much support the city’s aldermen will offer.
Commissioner Adrian Garcia has said that his precinct’s pilot program, which paid participants $15 an hour to clean public spaces, was a success and will expand countywide with a $2.1 million budget.
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009. In the absence of action from Congress and state legislatures, local governments are adding capacity to their programs to support workers.
Dozens of city workers failed to comply with the weekly COVID-19 testing requirement and, therefore, could be at risk of termination. City officials said workers were given multiple opportunities to comply.
As the list of companies pledging to cover their employees’ abortion-related expenses continues to grow, some wonder if the employee will have to sacrifice privacy to access the financial benefits.
Companies across the nation have vowed to support access to abortion for their employees, sometimes offering as much as $10,000 to cover abortion-related expenses, but plans are unclear for how the coverage would play out.
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development said that it cannot access jobless claims data to make weekly unemployment benefit payments for 12,000 workers.
The California law, which makes it harder for companies to classify workers as contractors to legally guarantee minimum wages, overtime pay and compensation benefits, was challenged by freelance groups.
Before the pandemic, court systems across the nation were unable to meet the demand for public defenders, citing issues of low pay and severe overwork. COVID has only exacerbated the problem.
The e-commerce company has struggled throughout the pandemic with building too many warehouses and not having enough workers to staff them. But a 3.8-million-square-foot expansion in upstate New York has hired 1,500 full-time workers.
From 2000 to 2019, the Maine city’s pay gap between men and women shrank 21 percent and in 2019 women made 91 percent of what their male counterparts earned, 9 percentage points above the national average.
Some Alaskan employers are building housing for workers, including efforts to convert former military barracks and a state ferry into worker lodging, in hopes that relieving housing struggles will attract workers.
While new leadership and a quick economic rebound have allowed the state’s Employment Department to better address new claims and phone calls, the agency still has outstanding issues to be resolved.
In 2019, the New York State Industries for the Disabled helped employ 5,293 workers with a disability. Yet, the state ranked 43rd out of the 50 states for residents with a disability who were employed.
The ballot measure would have asked voters if app-based drivers should be considered employees or independent contractors. The judges said the petition was “vaguely worded.”
During the pandemic, a record-breaking number of people of all ages quit their jobs in “the Great Resignation.” But as inflation rises and employers increase wages to attract workers amid a labor shortage, many are returning to the workforce.
With historic funding for badly needed projects arriving at the same time as historic shortages of construction workers, what can states do to open up the employment pipeline?
While the unemployment rates are close to pre-pandemic levels, employers are still struggling to fill positions. Statewide, businesses reported about 30,000 fewer workers than in February 2020.
Forty-eight recreation centers in Philadelphia have just one full-time worker. Labor leaders and supporters of the city's parks and libraries are calling for more than $15 million in new funding to address staffing problems.
The county wants to require employers to disclose minimum and maximum pay for job listings. Currently, more than half a dozen states have pay transparency laws, including jurisdictions in New York.
A recent study found that the state’s investment to connect 238,000 households by 2026 would raise worker wages, help bridge digital divides and boost the state’s labor income by $843 million annually.
The state’s Employment Development Department says that it was flooded with 47,000 suspicious claims in early May, which would have amounted to as much as $560 million. There has not yet been word who is behind the fraudulent claims.
While many firms expect workers to be remote about 30 percent of the time after the pandemic, the rate has “stalled” around 40 percent since last fall. Cities will have to adjust as less workers commute into downtown spaces.
The U.S. House passed YouthBuild for the Future act as part of the larger $78 billion Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The bill now moves to the Senate.
The state saw a civilian labor force gain of 14,000 and an employment increase of 19,000 last month. April was the 12th consecutive month of job growth and 10th consecutive month of unemployment decline for the state.
Inflation, desire for hybrid work and low wages have caused great swaths of workers across Massachusetts to leave their jobs in human services, threatening the industry. Some say the state needs to be proactive.
Cities and counties are still struggling to regain pre-pandemic employment levels. New approaches to hiring and retention could help fill the gap.
The estimated cost of attendance at a University of California is $38,504; California State Universities are expected to cost $30,676. Only 33 percent of Californians said a four-year degree was needed for a successful and profitable career.
The Texas city’s manufacturing jobs reached 52,000 last fall, its highest level in more than two decades; employment in auto manufacturing more than doubled over the last 20 years.
Despite declining COVID numbers, the state’s unemployment numbers remain well above the national average. Businesses are still cautious about hiring and thousands of workers are quitting their jobs.
