The United States Department of Labor Home Page, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao

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October 14, 2004

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In Focus

Secretary Chao Hosts 2004 Opportunity Conference

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao speaks at the 2004 Opportunity Conference in Washington, D.C. on October 12. (DOL Photo/Shawn Moore)

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao hosted the 2004 Opportunity Conference for Asian Pacific and Hispanic Americans in Washington on Oct. 12. The full-day conference was designed to serve these two fastest-growing segments of the 21st century workforce and inform small business owners, non-profit and faith based organizations and community leaders about the many opportunities available to them.

Visit the Opportunity Conference Web site.
Read the news release:
- In English.
- In Spanish.
- In Chinese.
Read Secretary Chao's speech.
Read about Secretary Chao's 21st Century Workforce Initiative.

"Getting people back to work is what this Department does. Giving people hope in their future is our job."

— Secretary Elaine L. Chao

Highlights

Latest Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Consumer Price Index:	+0.1%	Aug 2004
Unemployment Rate:	5.4%	Sep 2004
Payroll Employment:	+96,000(p)	Sep 2004
Average Hourly Earnings:	+$0.03(p)	Sep 2004
Producer Price Index:	-0.1%(p)	Aug 2004
Employment Cost Index:	+0.9%	2nd Qtr 2004
Productivity:	+2.5%	2nd Qtr 2004
U.S. Import Price Index:	+.2%	Sep 2004
Other DOL Statistics:
Unemployment Initial (UI) Claims:	352,000	Oct 9 2004
UI Claims 4-Week Average:	353,000	Oct 9 2004
Federal Minimum Wage:	$5.15
p — preliminary; c — corrected