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.
DHS is using federal funds to reimburse local police who partner with ICE, a policy that could reshape law enforcement in rural communities with limited staffing and resources.
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.
Elaine Howle was the longest-serving auditor in state history and known for her determination to be detailed and independent. The job posting for her replacement will close later this month.
An appeals court in Boston will determine if the Maine governor violated an inmate’s 14th Amendment rights when she ordered the Department of Corrections to seize COVID-19-induced unemployment benefits.
Confusion and misinformation have made it difficult to gauge the impact of the omicron variant on the economy and work. Data that tracks unemployment rates since the start of the pandemic provides a rough guide.
Illinois and seven other states want the federal government to reinstate a pause on interest rates for loans used to pay unemployment benefits in the beginning of the pandemic. If left unpaid for a year, Illinois could owe $100 million in interest.
After the successful shift to remote work for many government agencies in 2021, the public sector has begun to weigh the benefits of hybrid work environments and reassess hiring practices.
State and local governments have billions to invest in recovery and equity. Emphasis on diversity and purpose-driven jobs could get them the workers they need to make the most of a historic opportunity.
The paid family and medical leave legislation that passed more than two years ago with bipartisan support will miss its Jan. 2023 launch date. Residents could lose out on $453 million of paid leave benefits.
The Living Wage Act of 2022 would gradually increase state minimum wage to $18 by 2026. The initiative will soon begin to collect signatures to try and get the measure in the upcoming Nov. election.
With its close proximity to larger metropolitan areas and low cost of living, Northeastern Pennsylvania is well-positioned to attract and maintain workers. But the region will need to campaign workers to avoid losing them.
A coalition of state universities, industry and government partners will receive $2 million in two-year grant funding from the National Security Agency to develop a cybersecurity workforce.
A Bloomberg report ranked the city as a standout city in the nation for crypto-related job hires, averaging 1.9 crypto hires per 100,000. Three of the top 10 cities were located in New York state.
Labor data suggests that Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to cut the extra $300 of federal funds from unemployment benefits 10 weeks ahead of the federal deadline had little effect on moving people back into the workforce.
To deal with a multimillion-dollar deficit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cut $99.9 million in overtime. But as crime and homicides increase across the county, officials say that’s not feasible this year.
The transit agency normally employs about 2,300, but is currently down about 150 workers, forcing it to trim services for dozens of bus routes. It is offering $2,000 hiring bonuses and may consider rehiring retired operators.
It’s little wonder that so many Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs — and quitting them. We need new approaches to education beyond high school that give every learner the opportunity to flourish.
