Workforce Developments

Happy Holidays from WorkforceDevelopments

It's that time of the year again - time for me to take my annual two week holiday from blogging.

If you find yourself online and wishing for something to do, you might click around WorkforceDevelopments a bit. You can

• Check out the Blogroll page and find some new websites I've added this year, or visit some old favorites 
  
• Shop for last-minute gifts Do some after-Christmas shopping for your favorite workforce development professional 
  
• Job hunt on the Workforce Development Job Board 
  
• Listen to contributor Racy Ming talking about prisoner re-entry on KQED radio
• Find your state link on the Unemployment Resources page 
  
• Watch a slideshow and brush up on the basics of web 2.0 
  

If you'd just like to catch up on some reading, you can click to the Archives to find every post since March 2006 sorted by date and by category. Or check out my favorite WorkforceDevelopments posts from 2008:

1. The purpose of workforce development, in law
2. President's Day workforce development quiz
3. Does it pay to work so hard?
4. Reader comments during debate on the first unemployment extension
5. Using cell phones in workforce development services 
6. Making online maps work for you
7. Making sense of the $700B bailout for workers and jobs
8. Reading, writing and jobs
9. What's wrong with this workforce development picture?
10. Making research data accessible to more people

Or check out any of Racy's terrific posts on prisoner re-entry issues and resources.

Here's wishing you the best for the holidays and all of 2009.

Understanding underemployment

As the economy has gone downhill, there's been a lot of talk about unemployment and supports for the unemployed in the mainstream media. What about the underemployed?

There are no official counts of underemployment in the U.S., although other countries like the Philippines do. Experts use a proxy measure of the number of people who work part time but would rather work full time. That number has increased over the past year by nearly 3 million people, to a total of 7.3 million underemployed Americans. That's 12.5% of the U.S. workforce.

Who is underemployed and why? David Dagan at the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal has been taking a closer look at the underemployed in his region. He's followed a worker on his three hour commute to work and talked to companies and temp agencies hiring underemployed workers. He also talked to social service organizations and workforce development agencies serving unemployed and underemployed workers.

What Dagan's articles and videos find will look familiar to many workforce development professionals. It helps paint a picture for the general public of what we know about the workforce we serve. He describes a system where people get stuck in low-wage, entry level jobs as a result of a combination of disenfranchisement, low expectations on the part of workers and employers, and a workforce development system that isn't visible enough in the community.

Bob Garraty, executive director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board, agrees that the workforce system probably doesn't do as good a job as they could of communicating with the urban underemployed.

But Dagan shows how the problem falls on everyone's shoulders. As a general manager at temp services company Adecco tells him, employers have to begin addressing social problems in the workforce:

It's one of these points where we can either sit around and complain about the lack of good, hardworking people that are available to us ... or suck it up and start to do something about it. Nobody is going to hand it to us.

One highlight of the series is Dagan's video of a group of participants in YouthBuild a well-respected workforce development program, rapping about the program outside Harrisburg Area Community College:

For the rest of Dagan's series on The Invisible Workforce, click here.

This just in: Hilda Solis (D-CA) for Labor Secretary

AP just reported it - California Congresswoman Hilda Solis expected to be tapped as Obama's Secretary of Labor.

MSNBC listed Rep. Solis as the possible pick a couple hours ago.

This pick appears to reinforce Obama's emphasis on green jobs. Rep. Solis introduced the Green Jobs Act (HR 2847) in 2007. It was ultimately incorporated into the larger Energy Independence and Security Act (HR 6) that year.

A few other links on Rep. Solis:

House website

Bio from her House website

Wikipedia

Campaign website

Video of Rep. Solis speaking on the Green Jobs Act

Still no word from Obama on Labor Secretary

Update Dec 18: Obama names Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) as Secretary of Labor. Click here for more.

We're getting down to the last of Obama's Cabinet picks, and there's still no announcement of who he wants for Secretary of Labor. Others have noted this as cause for concern. Why wasn't the Labor Secretary named as part of his economic team? Why not bring out his Labor Secretary as part of the big jobs stimulus announcement?

The latest speculation (click here, here and here for earlier rumors) includes some familiar names and a few new ones. AP puts the odds on Ed McElroy, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, Linda Chavez-Thompson, former AFL-CIO vice president, Mary Beth Maxwell, executive director of American Rights at Work, Maria Echaveste, former Clinton White House adviser and current lecturer at the University of California's Boalt Hall, or Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.

The New Republic likes Granholm, Echaveste, Chavez-Thompson and Maxwell, and adds Rep. Linda Sanchez of California. TNR mentions two names I hadn't seen anywhere before: Pennsylvania Congressman Bob Brady, and Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. TNR of course lists the ongoing frontrunner, former Congressman David Bonior of Michigan, plus former Congressman Richard Gephardt of Missouri. The word from the political blogosphere is that Bonior is supporting Maxwell, and commenter JL tells me that Gephardt privately declined two weeks ago.

The other position those of us in workforce development are focused on is who will be named Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor. That's where key decisions affecting us and our work are made. If anyone has any inside info on that front, please let me know.

Holiday gift ideas for your favorite workforce development professional

Whether you're still looking for just the right gift for that wonderful workforce development professional in your life, or if you're still trying to explain what it is you do for a living to friends and family, look no further. Once again this year I'm offering t-shirts, mugs and other items with a Venn diagram that's sure to amaze.

But don't just take it from me. See how adorable it looks on my niece Claire? She was so excited when she saw it that she immediately grabbed the phone and called her local One-Stop to learn more about preparing for a high-growth career.

Five percent of the price you pay for any of these items will go to the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles. For more info on pricing, click here.

Check it out for yourself at CafePress.com, and Happy Holidays from WorkforceDevelopments.

Unemployment benefits links: Western region

After receiving a large number of comments from readers who are having trouble finding out whether they're eligible for benefits through the recent unemployment extension and how to apply, I gathered up the links for all 50 states (plus DC) to the agency administering unemployment. While the money and the legislation are federal, unemployment is administered by your state. Most states offer some kind of guidance on the extension, so I've linked to those. For states that don't offer any info about the extension, I've linked to their general unemployment administration site.

In the Western region (DOL Region VI), seven states provide information on the extension:

• Arizona
• California
• Hawai'i
• Idaho
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington

In this region, only Alaska offers no guidance. I suppose I could make some snarky comment about how the governor's been busy with other responsibilities lately, but I won't.

This concludes the series on state-by-state unemployment links. I hope it's helpful. If you find any errors or if any of the links don't work, please let me know. If you do find it useful, I'd love to hear from you too.

For other regions of the country, just click for New England (Region I), Mid-Atlantic (Region II), Southeast (Region III), Central (Region IV) and Upper Midwest (Region V).

Unemployment benefits links: Upper Midwest region

Among the ten states in the Upper Midwest region (DOL Region V), eight provide guidance to workers seeking information about the unemployment benefits extension:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Ohio
• Wisconsin

Nebraska does not provide any guidance, so I've linked to their general unemployment page.

Missouri offers only this guidance - and a warning:

The Division of Employment Security mailed out letters to those individuals who are potentially eligible to receive the extended benefits. An application was mailed with each letter and must be completed and returned to the Division of Employment Security.

The Division of Employment Security is in an extremely heavy workload period due to an increase in new claims being filed and the federal government's extension of unemployment benefits. The time it takes to determine eligibility for benefits has increased if you were separated from work for any reason other than a lack of work. The investigation process is currently taking six to eight weeks. Regional Claims Center representatives will be answering calls from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday-Friday.

This is the fifth post in a series of six, providing links to information on how each state is implementing the unemployment benefits extension, signed into law in late November. I've heard from a large number of readers who are frustrated and having trouble accessing their benefits.

Click on your state to go directly to the appropriate site.

For other states, click for Region I (New England), Region II (Mid-Atlantic), Region III (Southeast) and Region IV (Central).

The next and final post in this series will cover Region VI (Western).

Unemployment extension links: Central region

In the Central region, five of eleven states do not provide information about how the unemployment extension is being administered. Five do:

• Colorado
• Montana
• New Mexico (then click Extended Unemployment Compensation 2008)
• Utah
• Wyoming

For those states that do not provide guidance, I've linked to their general unemployment information sites:

• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Texas

Oklahoma has posted this statement on their unemployment website:

If you have received a notice about Emergency Unemployment Compensation, the claims for the extension can not currently be filed via the Internet. You will need to contact the Service Center at the number listed on the form you received.

This gets us through 32 (plus DC) state links on unemployment administration. Click on your state to go directly to guidance or information about who is eligible for extended benefits and how to access them. If your state isn't listed here, click for Region I (New England), Region II (Mid-Atlantic) or Region III (Southeast).

Next up, Region V (Upper Midwest), followed by Region VI (Western).

Unemployment extension links: Southeast region

DOL's Region III covers eight states in the Southeast. Of these, five provide specific guidance on how the unemployment benefits extension is being administered:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• North Carolina

The other three provide very little. Mississippi (on a page with perhaps the longest URL in modern history) describes what a benefits extension is, then links to a DOL page for more info. South Carolina offers no guidance, so I've linked to their general unemployment page. Tennessee offers this statement:

Do not file an Extended Benefit Claim using this internet application as it will result in a delay in your benefits. Applications for Extended Benefits will be mailed to you.

This is number 3 in a 6-post series, providing state-by-state links for workers to information about how the unemployment benefits extension is being administered. I hope these links are helpful for readers having trouble understanding how to access their benefits.

Click here for Region I (New England) and Region II (Mid-Atlantic).

Next up: Region IV (Central)

Unemployment extension links: Mid-Atlantic region

Continuing with my 50-state-plus-DC list of links to information for workers about the unemployment benefits extension. Each state handles it differently. In DOL's Region II (Mid-Atlantic), two states plus DC offer specific guidance on employment extension benefits:

• Pennsylvania
• Washington DC
• West Virginia

Three do not. For these, I've linked to general unemployment insurance information:

• Delaware
• Maryland
• Virginia

Click here for links to states in Region I (New England).

Next up, Region III (Southeast)

Unemployment extension links: New England region

As I mentioned in my previous post, there seems to be a fair amount of confusion about how unemployment extension benefits are being implemented across the country. This is the first in a 6-post series, providing state-by-state links on the extension. I'm using the Department of Labor's six regions - they seem as reasonable way to divide up the US as any.

Click on the links below to get to information about the unemployment extension in the following seven New England states (Region I):

• Connecticut
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Rhode Island
• Vermont

New Hampshire does not provide specific information on the extension, beyond a statement on their website that includes the following:

If you have already claimed and received 13 weeks of benefits under the first EUC entitlement effective July 6, 2008, you will also now have an additional entitlement to 7 more weeks. Your eligibility for these benefits begins with the week ending November 29, 2008.

Next post: Region II, the Mid-Atlantic

Unemployment extension: how it's being handled by the states

Congress passed a second extension of unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed workers in November, and Bush signed it into law. If you're eligible (or you think you are), how do you find out how to access those benefits?

The comments on this blog suggest there's a fair amount of confusion out there. One underlying reason is that while this extension is being paid by federal funds, the funds are managed by each state individually. There's no central database or place to sign up.

So I spent some time over the weekend looking up the agencies that administer unemployment benefits in all 50 states. Most states (37 of them) have posted at least some information online about the extension. The rest have not.

Overall, it looks like most states are saying the equivalent of Don't call us, we'll call you if you're eligible. Many states offer some kind of general guidelines about who is and isn't eligible, which is at least a little helpful. Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation offers only this (in English and Spanish):

Congress has enacted an additional seven week extension of unemployment insurance benefits. If you have already exhausted the 13 week extension of benefits you will be notified of the filing instructions within several weeks. Our operators have no further information at this time.

Over the next six blog posts I'm going to provide links to unemployment information for all 50 states. For states that have posted guidance on the extension, I'll link to that information. For those that don't, I'll link to the general unemployment page for workers.

If you have any more specific information or find any errors in my list, please let me know.

An online community addressing prisoner re-entry issues

If you're looking for online resources related to prisoner re-entry, you'll want to check out the National Institute of Corrections. They don't just provide data and information. They've created an online community that you can join and participate in.

The National Institute of Corrections has a Community page with lots of resources for workforce development professionals.  This website provides information on topics ranging from the 2009 Defendant/Offender Workforce Development Conference in Pittsburg, PA to "Improving the Employment Rates of Ex-Prisoners under Parole."

Click here for Workforce Developments' coverage of their 2007 conference.

Of particular interest may be the news/blog page or the discussion group on Offender Employment. The blog postings are conveniently tagged and organized into sub-categories, such One-Stops, Re-entry, and the Second Chance Act. 

NIC is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Prisons that

"provides training, technical assistance, information services, and policy/program development assistance to federal, state, and local corrections agencies. NIC also provides leadership to influence correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide in areas of emerging interest and concern to correctional executives and practitioners as well as public policymakers."

To get started, take a look at their page which gives an overview of the Corrections Community, and describes the website as "a place for you to reach out for advice, share your knowlege, and network with your peers." 

Happy reading!

--Racy Ming

Obama Labor Secretary: rumor mill update

Update Dec 18: Obama names Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) as Secretary of Labor. Click here for more.

Who will be Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration? If my blog hits are any indication, it's not just workforce development professionals who want to know. 

On Monday, the Washington Post named the three most likely picks as Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or the ongoing favorite, former Michigan Congressman David Bonior.

Villaraigosa says he's not interested in joining the Obama administration.

Today comes word from the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire (thanks to Sarah at GreaterWashington@Work blog for the heads-up!) naming Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, as a possible front-runner. They report Bonior doesn't want the job and is supporting Maxwell instead.

Washington Wire also mentions Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) as a possible pick, although that hasn't gotten a lot of coverage in the mainstream media.

This brings the total to about a dozen possible names rumored for the Labor Secretary post (click here and here for more). Add your own comments and rumors below.

Making research data accessible to more people

As a researcher, I enjoy digging through data, analyzing it, making sense of patterns and trends. I also enjoy writing reports that explain what I've learned, so that other people can use that information in their work.

What I don't enjoy is writing reports that get printed up, distributed and then shelved by people who are too busy to actually read them. I have a stack of reports on my own desk marked Read when I have some spare time. It's amazing how much more urgent stuff gets piled on top of that stack every day.

I recently worked on a project where I experimented with how we presented and distributed our research findings. Rather than issuing a written report, I created an online slideshow with a voiceover. It explains our key findings and recommendations in a way that may be more accessible to busy people. It's not a workforce development project, but what I learned in doing this would be applicable to presenting labor market data and other research: 

Three important lessons I learned in doing this were

1. If a research report is one way to tell a story, then presenting the same data in a slideshow is very different from doing that in print. I had to learn a lot about visual storytelling techniques.  
2. The slideshow probably should be shorter. A more basic slideshow could be used to entice people to read the written report. 
3. If possible, invest a little in higher-end technology. We used the free version of SoundSlides, and posted the final product to a free site. For less than $100 we could have had a few more tools and could have avoided the advertising.

Check out the slideshow and think about how you could use it. What information do you need to share with people online? I'm thinking of several research reports I've done in recent years where we could have used a tool like this to get the word out and share what we learned. 

If you have any questions or ideas, let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

[If you're having trouble seeing the show, click here.]