Workforce News & Resources
This COVID-19-related policy briefing focuses on key updates from the CARES Act to the unemployment benefits program. This information is largely based on federal guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) on April 2.
On March 27, the U.S. House followed the Senate in passing the third stimulus package this month, which is expected to cost more than $2 trillion. The bill has been signed into law by the President. Read more about the bill and state policy updates.
Source: USA Today
In the second quarter of 2018, approximately 41 percent of all jobs posted online in the Pittsburgh Metro region were considered hard to fill. Between April and June, it took regional employers longer to fill some 26,000 open positions compared to the national average for those same occupations. So, why are employers finding it hard to fill these jobs?
Nationally, more than 20 percent of workers hold an occupational license. Compared to their unlicensed counterparts who work in the same field, licensed workers hold jobs longer, have fewer part-time jobs, and are less likely to be unemployed. Many of the job training programs in which Partner4Work invests are working to ease the burden of obtaining an occupational license for people determined to advance their careers and improve their earnings, but who don’t have access to the opportunity.
Contingent workers comprise about 16 percent of the national workforce, growing by 9 million between 2005 and 2015, according to the latest estimate. It includes independent contractors, those hired through temp agencies, and contract company workers. Economists believe this rise of the contingent workforce is transforming the labor market. Beyond hours worked and wages, it affects a slew of social guarantees associated with the traditional employer/employee relationship.
Data from online job postings in 2017 show that occupations in sales (22,000 job postings); office and administrative support (20,500); healthcare practitioners and technical areas (20,000); computer and mathematical areas (19,000); management (17,200); and transportation (13,900) are in demand in the Pittsburgh metro area. There is a clear demand from businesses to fill open positions in the region. But are there people to fill these jobs?
At 4.9 percent, Pittsburgh’s December 2017 unemployment rate is approaching a level the Federal Reserve considers nearing “full employment.” This follows a trend of low unemployment rates at the state (4.7 percent) and national levels (4.1 percent). A tightening labor market has generated more competition among businesses for workers, with some of the country’s biggest employers offering more attractive benefits packages, according to a recent New York Times article. While these benefit packages typically have been used to attract salaried workers, employers are using them to recruit hourly workers, too.
The National League of Cities announced the six cities that will participate in its Cities for Racial Equity and Racial Healing Technical Assistance Initiative, and Pittsburgh made the list, along with Charlotte, North Carolina; Long Beach, Calif.; Rochester, N.Y.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Wichita, Kan.
Source: Pittsburgh Today
A banker, a health care provider and a delivery service worker all walk into a local middle school to talk about jobs.
It sounds like a joke, and Caitlin McLaughlin, an executive vice president at PNC Financial Services Group Inc., had to laugh at the premise, even though she issued the invitation to UPMC and FedEx Ground last spring.
Source: Pittsburgh Business Times
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s RISE (Reentry through Industry Specific Education) Project is currently seeking candidates for the program. Now entering its sixth year, the successful construction job-training program focuses on individuals 17-24 who need to earn their GED.
Source: South Pittsburgh Reporter
Allegheny County, on behalf of DHS and the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative, is soliciting proposals for a vocational training program in the Allegheny County Jail. The goal of the vocational training program is to assist Allegheny County Jail Reentry Program participants in completing a certified or credentialed training program that will enable them to obtain employment in a vocational field following release from the Jail.
Grant opportunities announced by US Department of Labor, US Department of Education and National Science Foundation.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement within the US Department of Health and Human Services will provide funding to implement projects assisting refugees to qualify for licenses and certifications necessary to attain employment and improve self-sufficiency.
Deadline: August 29, 2017.
Governor Tom Wolf announced Friday the latest departure from his cabinet - Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino.
Source: PA HomePage
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education announces federal funding opportunties available to public and private non-profit organizations.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to fund design & development pilots that aim to improve the preparation, increase the participation, and ensure the contributions of individuals from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved in STEM. NSF calls for bold, innovative ways to solve broadening participation challenges in STEM.
Deadline: Preliminary proposal, Feb. 14, 2017. Full proposal, May 16, 2017.