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.
The right policies can help more regions take advantage of AI for economic growth and prepare against some of its harms, according to a new report.
In California, Black and Latinx women have seen a 23 and 22 percent employment decline, respectively, due to COVID-19. “This is really amplifying existing inequalities, especially racial and ethnic inequities.”
Washington state saw an 11 percent decline in unemployment applications in the week ending on July 4. But 736,000 are still jobless and the additional weekly $600 federal benefit payments are set to expire by July 25.
States and localities will need the full range of tools to recover economically. That calls for federal policies that tap infrastructure-building's power to boost local jobs and small-business growth.
A report finds that the coronavirus-caused shift to remote work has altered the idea of a workspace. Some are uncomfortable with returning to an office and many hope to continue working from home even after offices reopen.
Nearly 2 million unemployment claims that were filed months ago still haven’t been paid. Residents and lawmakers are frustrated by the state’s inability to keep up. “EDD is utterly failing millions of Californians.”
The state has been inundated with more than 600,000 residents filing for unemployment benefits. Even with hundreds of workers helping, approximately 40,000 phone calls each week go unanswered.
The Employment Development Department announced last week that unemployment applicants will now be able to receive benefits for a total of 59 weeks as a part of the Federal-State Extended Duration benefits program.
Thousands of Alabama residents have taken to sleeping outside of the makeshift unemployment claims help center, to hopefully get assistance in person. But the state’s unemployment fund is quickly running out of money.
A new report suggests focusing on training opportunities, expanding broadband access and creating equitable inclusion in the workforce as important pieces when rebuilding Wisconsin’s economy.
Two state representatives want an investigation into the unemployment system failures, and want to find out why thousands of residents have gone weeks or months without receiving their benefits.
Many Ohioans have filed for workers’ compensation after allegedly contracting COVID-19 while on the job, but companies are skeptical of the claims. The state has created a special review team to evaluate these claims.
The state is considering layoffs and salary cuts as a few ways to reduce losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. With less than a week until the new fiscal year, unions have come out opposed to the proposed cuts.
The state’s Employment Department announced last week that there is a backlog of 70,000 unprocessed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims. The department hopes to overcome the backlog in six or seven weeks.
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Public sector leaders share thoughts on workforce planning in the digital era.
As workers stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, companies are having to establish new rules to keep their employees safe and accountable. But if remote work continues after the pandemic, guidelines are essential.
The number of residents applying for unemployment aid has slowed down, but more than 2 million Floridians have applied for assistance overall. Many applicants are also still experiencing delayed or missing payments.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission unanimously voted to replace 492 human workers with all-electronic systems. The commission says the layoffs will save nearly $100 million over the next two years.
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown thousands of new applicants into the state’s unemployment system, overwhelming claims processing and phone calls. But these issues have been happening for years.
Missouri’s Department of Labor will reinstate unemployment benefit requirements that were waived during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, including a one-week waiting period and required job-seeking efforts.
500,000 Houstonians lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As the city begins to reopen, it must establish a new working normal as recovery will still take months or even years.
The state altered unemployment benefit payments from weekly to biweekly without notifying any of the applicants or recipients. A spokesperson claims the weekly payments were only to help offset the pandemic emergency.
The pandemic has highlighted long-standing public workforce problems. But the crisis has also prompted some changes that point the way to work environments that support high performance.
Many Floridians have received very little or no unemployment support from the state during the coronavirus pandemic. Tired of no answers, and jammed phone lines, activists plan to take the streets to demand change.
Public health agencies have steadily lost workers since the 2008 recession. Tech can help address some of the biggest demands from the pandemic, but humans and better funding are still badly needed.
Whether or not an employee is working from an office, there are still some health and security risks that are a company’s responsibility. Questions have been raised about overtime and workers’ comp.
About 70,000 New Jersey workers have exhausted their unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Some received relief as the state opened slots for a 13-week extension. However, the rest still struggle to find work.
For many Detroit workers, taking the bus is the only option when it comes to getting to work. Unfortunately, that also means risking the spread of the coronavirus pandemic while on public transit.
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Government leaders discuss managing risks and vulnerabilities of remote work.
The last recession pummeled the government workforce. Now, the pandemic has hit and once again, layoffs have become a fact of life. But not every state and local government is cutting jobs to stanch revenue losses.
California needs 10,000 workers to act as contact tracers, but it has only trained about 950. Gov. Newsom has said if state workers don’t volunteer to be contact tracers, they might be temporarily reassigned to the job.