|
New Ideas in Unemployment Insurance
The Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program provides unemployment benefits to
eligible workers who have lost their jobs and are meeting other eligibility requirements under
their state law. Filing and drawing benefits is only one aspect of the UI program. New
initiatives and efforts will be discussed by federal and state officials. Attendees will hear
Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, and Virginia discuss what they are doing in their state to connect
claimants to reemployment services.
Michael Thurmond, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Labor
View PDF Version
View PowerPoint Version
Rick Slusher, Northern Region Marketing Manager,
Virginia Employment Commission
View PDF Version
View PowerPoint Version
Labor Market Puzzles in the Current Economic Recovery
The last recession was particularly painful for manufacturers, and consequently employment
losses were large in many Midwestern states. These losses continued through much of 2003
and the recovery to date has left employment levels still far below what they were in 2000.
Apart from the impact of the recession, these employment declines also appear to reflect
industrial restructuring and an associated realignment of the workforce. Unusually,
unemployment rates have remained relatively low despite the apparent lack of jobs. What
underlies these divergent patterns and what does that suggest about possible patterns for labor
market growth looking forward.
Mark Schweitzer, Ph.D., Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
View PDF Version
View PowerPoint Version 1.56 MB
The Demand Driven Workforce: An Industry and Occupational Perspective
This presentation will address the measurement challenges that are faced in attempting to
respond to the Employment and Training Administration's vision of a workforce information
and delivery system that reflects the demands of employers for a skilled workforce. The list of
high-growth industries from the Business Relations Group will be examined in terms of the
NAICS industry classification system. The sensitivity of the list of high-growth industries to
alternative definitions will also be explored. This presentation also will explore the relationship
between high growth industries and occupations. Do shortages of skilled workers always occur
in high growth industries or should a wider net be cast for identifying employer needs? And
given the difficulties in measuring labor market shortages, are there practical and useful
alternative methods that can be used at the national, state, and local levels to identify
occupations in which employers are having or will have significant difficulties in hiring
workers?
Michael W. Horrigan, Ph.D., Assistant Commissioner, Office of Occupational Statistics
Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics
View PDF Version
View PowerPoint Version 1.38 MB
Labor Market Information: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place?
The vision of a demand-driven workforce has become the paramount issue for the Employment
and Training Administration (ETA). It is a powerful and dynamic change that has many
ramifications for the states. Traditional partnerships between workforce, education and
economic development will be ratcheted up to a new level of cooperation and collaboration.
Innovation, on the one hand, and empirical evidence of results on the other, has become
the watchwords as ETA considers its resource allocations to state partners. Central to the
success of these changes, re-alignments, and increased levels of accountability is the
information and analysis provided by our Labor Market Information (LMI) departments. What
is their role in the demand-driven vision--what are the practical implications of ETA's new
business model for LMI? What are the implications for states of the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
(BLS) efforts with the Workforce Information Council (WIC)? How can state administrators
help LMI Directors work with the WIC and the LMI Committee to recognize the risk of
cooptation? What do state administrators need to know in this formative, but high-stakes
period of change and adjustment?
Moderator: Raylene Ireland, Executive Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services
Panelists: Dolores Esser, Commissioner, Virginia Employment Commission
Maren Daley, Executive Director, Job Service of North Dakota
View PDF Version
1.19 MB
View PowerPoint Version 1.64 MB
Landmark Civil Rights Legislation: An Anniversary to Celebrate!
Forty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The bill
opened all public accommodations and ended legal discrimination in employment on the basis
of race or sex. Hear vintage sound bites of speeches and behind the scenes White House
telephone conversations of President Johnson urging Congressional members to sign the
landmark legislation.
This "historical tour" provides a backdrop for the changes yet to come in our nation's labor
force. The Civil Rights Act made employment discrimination based on sex illegal. By 2012
women's share of the labor force is projected to be 47.5 percent. The labor force in 2012 is
expected to be older and more diverse. The projected median age of 41.4 for 2012 would
exceed the highest level ever recorded. By 2012, Hispanics are anticipated to become the
largest minority group in the labor force.
Take a short refresher course by watching a video reviewing the expectations under the law.
Understanding and abiding by its provisions are an obligation for federal funds.
And, as we work to serve an increasingly diverse workforce, it becomes important to recruit,
develop and retain staff with non-English language skills and broader cultural knowledge. A
resource to take home will be shared with suggestions to enhance your efforts in recruiting and
retaining staff with the skills to serve your changing customers, including those with limited
English proficiency.
View PDF Version
View PowerPoint Version 1.02 MB
|
