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.
With enrollment trending down, colleges are simplifying the process for students to get credit for skills they already have, which can save them both time and money.
Towns like Quincy, Ill., can be appealing to remote workers for the cheaper cost of living and community aspects of a small town. About 17 percent of workers reported moving away from their workplace since the pandemic’s start.
We’re too focused on job creation and too little on skilling. Mayors and county executives need to take on a new role in workforce development, coordinating regional efforts built around better use of data.
The proposal would allocate $6.9 million to create the Excluded Workers Pilot Program, which would provide unemployment funds to undocumented workers who have been laid off or had a reduction in hours.
The state’s antiquated jobless aid system couldn’t handle the large influx of unemployment benefit claims brought on by the pandemic. While the system’s problems are not entirely resolved, it is better prepared for future spikes in claims.
As government call centers grapple with the nationwide staffing shortage and an influx in demand, some are implementing artificial intelligence tools to improve wait times and accessibility for callers.
A study of 3,000 companies found a correlation between local ‘social capital’ – which measures such variables as voter turnout and census response rates – and more women on corporate boards.
Construction and other industries supported by the new federal infrastructure law face labor shortages. Workforce development systems can help narrow that gap by supporting efforts to bring in women and workers of color.
People with criminal records just want to work, and they can be good employees. There’s a lot that governments could do to enable this untapped workforce.
Republican lawmakers and business groups argue that the state’s economy is suffering from too many people collecting unemployment benefits instead of working. But the effort could remove a financial safety net.
A labor union has alleged that its members were harassed, ostracized and deprived of clean restrooms by officials after exposing the city’s illegitimate practices. The city has said it is committed to rooting out corruption.
Half of public-sector workers are considering leaving their jobs. Unions have stepped up their role in retention and recruitment, but the ongoing lack of normalcy remains a serious challenge.
A federal appeals court upheld a union-backed law that bars state government officials from dissuading their employees from joining unions or paying union fees. The 2017 law was challenged with freedom of speech violation claims.
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a guidance letter to state unemployment agencies stating they should expand jobless waivers to thousands of people and absolve those who received overpayments due to state error.
The bill allows workers at businesses of 26 or more employees to take up to two weeks paid time off to recover from the disease or address COVID-related responsibilities, and will be retroactive to Jan. 1 and expire on Sept. 30.
The city’s recently appointed Racial Equity Initiative leader was the subject of a criminal investigation regarding substantial unemployment fraud claims that occurred while she headed Ohio’s jobs department.
Seven months after the decision was made, thousands of residents do not yet know that they will be able to keep the overpaid jobless aid, thanks to antiquated technology that continues to hobble the unemployment agency.
Not only would offshore wind farms bring economic opportunities to southern Louisiana, they would also propel the state towards its 2050 climate goals. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to begin leasing Gulf waters by 2025.
Since the surge began in December, some smaller law enforcement agencies have been forced to increase overtime, reduce services and reroute non-emergency calls to online portals.
The Ohio city’s police dispatchers union has filed an unfair labor practice charge regarding a recent installation of a camera in the dispatch center’s work area, which the union compares to a “spy camera.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield terminated 250 employees earlier this month for not complying with the company’s vaccination deadline. But some employees felt they were wrongfully fired after being denied a religious exemption.
Prior to the pandemic, the state had more people working from home and better Internet access than average, but as remote work becomes increasingly permanent, workers continue to migrate and impact local communities.
Public health, social work and public works employees under SEIU Local 521 will walk off the job on Jan. 25 in response to poor-faith bargaining. Council officials expect the strike to delay or entirely shut down some departmental operations.
Legislation that would have enacted minimum standards for wages, working hours and work conditions across the fast food industry fell short of passing the state Assembly last year by just three votes. Some hope the bill becomes law during this year's legislative session.
If 25 percent to 30 percent of fully paid working days remain at home, that could have implications from how to use buildings to employee diversity in the office, from commuting considerations to who gets promoted.
The relative success of remote work has proved that in many cases government staff are just as, if not more, productive when they work away from the office. More agile structures like holacracy might be ones to model.
The Department of General Services will relinquish approximately 767,000 square feet of office space as many state departments continue with remote work. The state expects to save about $22.5 million annually.
The Department of Job and Family Services hired five companies to contract call center workers to better handle the mass of pandemic-related unemployment claims. Some call center workers were initially paid $59 an hour.
The average remote workers shifted two of their working hours outside of the traditional 9-to-6 weekday schedule and worked more hours than pre-pandemic.
From paid sick leave to corporate discrimination, lawmakers are enacting policies to balance businesses’ economic revitalization with ensuring worker safety as the coronavirus continues to spread across the state.
To address the persistent worker shortage, some lawmakers have suggested job training programs, increased affordable housing and child-care access and cutting taxes, but it is unknown which, if any, will be the final solution.
