Latest news with #DepartmentofLaborandIndustry
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Montana reaches six months of unemployment below 3%
The Walt Sullivan Building where the Montana Department of Labor and Industry are housed (Photo by Eric Seidle for the Daily Montanan). With an unemployment rate of 2.7% in March, down from 2.8% last month, Montana has now seen six straight months of rates under 3%. The governor's office and Department of Labor and Industry continue to praise the low seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, the third stint below 3% since the Federal Reserve began measuring the rate in the 1970s. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana saw an unemployment rate below 3% for two full years from October 2021 to October 2023. It ticked up slightly from then to 3.1% in December of that year, before slowly ticking down. March marked the 45th consecutive month of unemployment at or below 3.4%. 'For six months, Montana's unemployment rate has remained below 3%, with nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker,' Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a press release. 'Through our efforts to lower taxes and remove red tape, we've have created an environment that empowers entrepreneurs and businesses to invest and create good-paying jobs for Montanans across our state.' The unemployment was 1.5% lower than the national rate, which came in at 4.2% in March. The state's unadjusted unemployment rate of 3.0% ranks 5th in the U.S. The state said the labor force in Montana decreased by 572 workers last month. Data shows the state has added 1,500 payroll jobs over the last month. Forty-four of the state's counties currently have unemployment rates below 4%, and 19 of them have seen net job gains over the last year year, according to data from the Department of Labor and Industry. Gallatin County has seen the largest drop in employment over the last year with 348 fewer people employed this year compared to last. Missoula county, however, has seen the most growth with 860 additional people becoming employed. Unemployment rates remain higher on the state's seven Native American reservations – ranging from a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 4.7% on the Flathead Indian Reservation up to 13.1% on Rocky Boy's reservation. All seven reservations have seen net job decreases in the last year.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Autism walk at Andrews center underscores exploring life, overcoming barriers
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – About 600 students with autism from 16 schools met Tuesday at the Hiram G. Andrews Center for the annual Autism Awareness & Acceptance Walk and Resource Fair. In the backdrop of the walk this year was a budget proposal from Gov. Josh Shapiro that would increase funds across Pennsylvania for the type of services offered by the center at 727 Goucher St., Upper Yoder Township. Established in 1959 and operated through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Hiram G. Andrews Center is a post-secondary trade and technical school specializing in barrier-free education and job-readiness programs. Members of Shapiro's Department of Labor and Industry attended the walk. Danielle Woods, press secretary for the department, watched the hundreds of children participating in the event even as a dark sky threatened rain. PHOTO GALLERY | Hiram G. Andrews Center | Autism Awareness & Acceptance Walk 'As we enter budget season with the governor's proposal for an additional $5 million for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, this shows why those services are so important all across the commonwealth,' she said. Shapiro's 2025-26 state budget proposal includes an additional $5 million to support the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in assisting people with disabilities in finding employment through personalized services, vocational guidance, goal setting, job placement and counseling. William Hatcher, special assistant to the secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry, said the Hiram G. Andrews Center exemplifies the work of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. 'It's a pleasure to be here at this center where they are focused on changing the lives of individuals, families and communities,' he said. The theme of the walk around the school's campus was 'Life is a mystery.' Children stopped at stations during the walk for activities designed to spark ideas about how to investigate life and overcome barriers with autism. Hiram G. Andrews Center Director Jill Moriconi said the walk is scheduled annually in April, Autism Awareness Month, a worldwide tradition with a history including a 2007 United Nations proclamation designating April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. 'This event celebrates anybody on the spectrum or who is neurodivergent,' Moriconi said. 'We are celebrating everybody's differences, and we are welcoming everyone to our campus because we also want people to know about this resource. We are the potential next step for students beyond the schools they are attending now. We are about meeting individuals where they are at.' The Hiram G. Andrews Center offers 11 degree programs in 10 fields including culinary arts, welding and early childhood education. Students with autism also learn work readiness and socialization skills as they prepare to enter the workforce. Aimee Janakovic, president, CEO and director of the Silver Lining ABA autism services center at 1732 Lyter Drive, Lower Yoder Township, brought 30 children from the center to participate in the walk. 'We are all here to support children with autism,' she said. 'It's good for them to explore. We are glad to be a part of this. It will be a fun day.' Silver Lining ABA provides applied behavior analysis therapy, or ABA, to children with autism so that they can make positive behavior changes, enhance their communication skills and improve overall social interactions. It is the only center-based ABA therapy provider in Cambria County. Marie Duell, Greater Johnstown School District autism support teacher, accompanied a group of elementary school students. 'Every student is unique and has something to offer,' she said. 'Acceptance is key. Everybody is different, but can be part of something.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shapiro Administration launches program to recruit bilingual workers through increased pay
(WHTM)– The Shapiro Administration is launching a pilot program to help recruit more bilingual workers in Pennsylvania. The Office of Administration Secretary Neil Weaver and Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker announced the program, which aims to recruit more bilingual state employees by increasing pay in key positions at the Department of Labor and Industry, according to the Shapiro Administration. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'There should be no wrong door for Pennsylvanians who want to contact state government and access the information and services they deserve,' said Governor Josh Shapiro. 'Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians speak a language other than English – and I want them to be able to reach out to their state government and receive efficient, effective service just the same as anyone else. This pilot will ensure we're recognizing and rewarding employees who can speak multiple languages, while continuing to deliver faster, more effective results for the good people of Pennsylvania.' According to the Shapiro Administration, employees in covered positions who speak and write proficiently in Spanish may be eligible for an additional $1.00 per hour, almost $1,000 more over the course of the six-month pilot program. The Shapior Administration said the pay incentive is open to UC Intake Interviewers, UC Claims Supervisors, UC Claims Examiners, PA CareerLink® Program Supervisors, Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists, and Local Veterans Employment Representatives. Census data shows that Pennsylvania's Latino population has increased by nearly 400,000 since 2010. The program is part of Shapiro's Hire, Improve, Recruit, Empower (HIRE) Executive Order to expand employment opportunities and meet Pennsylvanians' needs, the Shapiro Administration said. The Shaprio Administration says that 1,100 employees will have the opportunity to qualify for the pay incentive by meeting minimum requirements for verbal and/or written Spanish proficiency. Job seekers can apply online today. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local unemployment rate ticks up slightly; labor force continues fall
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area inched up one-tenth of a percentage point in December to 4.1% as the number of people in the local labor force also continues to fall, according to data from the state Department of Labor and Industry. After remaining at a record low 3.9% for seven months from February through September, the local rate ticked up to 4% in October. The rate held at 4% in November. The unemployment rate for Lackawanna County increased two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2% in December — up from 3.8% in December 2023, per state data. Luzerne County's rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.7% — up from 4.4% in December 2023. Pennsylvania's unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.6% and the national rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1%, per state data. The local labor force declined by 1,100 from December 2023 to December 2024 and dropped by 1,900 from October to December, the department said. However, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the local metro area increased by 900 in December to a record high 272,500. Teri Ooms, executive director of The Institute, a regional data analytics and research organization, noted the labor force bears monitoring as spring approaches. 'I think we need to keep an eye on it, but I don't think it requires an immediate panic,' she said. 'There are still job opportunities, so we definitely need the workers. There could be a variety of factors why people pull away from the workforce this time of the year — the holidays and winter months — especially if it's individuals who have difficulty maneuvering. If we don't see them come back in the next few months, as the weather warms up, I would be a little bit more concerned because then we're starting to see a trend. Right now, it could just be an anomaly.' Ooms added looming tariffs that may be implemented against Mexico and Canada — two of the country's major trade partners — may also impact the area moving forward. 'It's going to be interesting to see what actually unfolds because it's going to create some vulnerability in the job market — within certain industries — if tariffs go into effect,' she said. 'It could be a really ugly situation because our gross domestic product and export market has grown exponentially over the past decade and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is by far the largest export market for northeastern Pennsylvania.' While Steven Zellers, a state industry and business analyst, also feels the labor force numbers are worth tracking, he maintains the overall job picture remains strong in the region. 'It's pretty broad-based,' he said. 'A lot of the different sectors are up.' Specifically, the metro area added 2,200 jobs in the health care and social assistance sector from December 2023 to December 2024 and Zellers believes there is potential for even more growth due to the region's demographics. 'It seems like a lot of the bigger health organizations are opening more outpatient care locations,' he said. 'Other than the number of residents employed going down a little bit, everything else is firing on all cylinders.'
