|
Creating Jobs for the 21st Century Economy
- Since October 2003, Arkansas' unemployment rate has fallen from
6.7 percent to 5.5 percent.
- Since June 2003, 16,500 jobs have been created in Arkansas.
- Since August 2003, more than 1.9 million jobs have been created nationwide.
|
Preparing Workers for Careers in the 21st Century Workforce
- Job Training and Dislocated Worker Funds: Since
2001, Arkansas has received $371.2 million in funds from the Department
of Labor's Employment and Training Administration to provide skills training
and career development assistance to dislocated workers and other participants.
- One Stop Career Centers: One
Stop Career Centers are the focal point of America's workforce investment
system, supporting the employment needs of job seekers and the human resource
needs of business. At One Stop Centers, workers, job seekers, and other participants can receive training and education, build their skills, and access federal assistance programs, while employers use One Stop Centers to help recruit workers they need for their businesses.
For a list of One Stop Career Centers in Arkansas, click on the link below:
Arkansas
One Stop Centers
- Job Corps: Job Corps is the nation's largest federally funded job training and education
program for economically disadvantaged youth ages 16 through 24. Established
in 1964, Job Corps has trained and educated more than 2 million young people
to date, serving more than 70,000 young adults each year. Besides vocational
training, Job Corps provides academic and life skills training including
the opportunity for students to earn a High School Diploma or GED. Approximately
90 percent of Job Corps graduates go on to careers in the private sector,
enlist in the military or move on to higher education or advanced training
programs.
For a list of Job Corps Centers in Arkansas, click on the link below:
Arkansas
Job Corps Centers
Protecting Workers on the Job
- The most recent data shows that since 2001, worker fatalities have fallen by 6 percent nationwide.
- Over the past
four years, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded nearly
$375,000 to provide safety training for Arkansas' miners.
- In 2003, mining fatalities across the country fell to the lowest level since 1910.
Protecting Workers' Wages
- Since 2001, the Department of Labor has collected more than a half
a billion dollars in back wages including overtime for
workers across the nation.
- The Department of Labor has reformed 50 year old overtime regulations and introduced new overtime security rules that will provide more overtime protection to more workers than under current law. The reforms guarantee overtime protection for workers making less than $23,660, a nearly threefold increase over the old rules, and guarantee overtime protection to hourly workers, blue collar workers and first responders.
Protecting Worker Benefits
- Since 2001, the Department of Labor has secured more than $3 billion for
the retirement, health and benefit plans that cover 150 million Americans.
- The Department of Labor has reformed the financial reporting
requirements for unions so that rank and file union members will have access
to more accurate and complete information about how their dues money is spent.
These reforms will help union members police their own unions and prevent
problems before they start.
- Fulfilling its role in the Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation
program, the Department has awarded nearly $1 million
to Arkansasans who developed cancer and other covered diseases while working on nuclear weapons and related projects for the United States. Payments have gone to former employees at the Department of Energy, its contractors or subcontractors, or to their survivors.
Protecting the Jobs of America's Veterans
- Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Department of Labor has protected
the jobs of America's veterans by providing briefings, presentations, and
technical assistance on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA) to more than 170,000 people nationwide. This includes
veterans, reservists and employers. Since 2001, the Department has completed
investigations of 70 USERRA complaints on behalf of protected service members
and veterans in Arkansas.
Serving Hispanic Workers
- The Department of Labor's Hispanic Worker Initiative is focused
on helping Hispanic Americans take advantage of job opportunities in high
growth sectors of the economy. The Initiative is focusing on three strategies:
- Helping Hispanic Americans develop language and occupational skills.
- Helping Hispanic youth stay on an educational path that leads to rewarding careers.
- Encouraging collaboration between employers, community colleges and the public workforce system to help Hispanic Americans build the skills required for jobs in growing industries.
- The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has
also mounted a significant effort to reach out to Spanish-speaking workers
and their employers, including printing health and safety materials in
Spanish, setting up a Spanish-language hotline, and extensive community outreach,
particularly in the construction industry.
- Since 2001, fatalities among Hispanic workers have fallen by 11.6 percent nationwide.
| |
|