WASHINGTON – Today, in the White House H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce report, the U.S. Department of Labor joined the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to announce new efforts to strengthen protections for workers in the H-2B program, who are vulnerable to exploitation by their employers. 

In the week ending October 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 198,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 209,000 to 211,000. The 4-week moving average was 205,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 206,250 to 206,750.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the incremental award of $7.5 million in funding to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for eligible residents in Florida as the state continues to recover following Hurricane Ian. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $16 million in grants to support organizations in 12 states as they pilot strategies to improve job quality and increase the availability of good jobs in the care, climate resiliency and hospitality sectors.

While essential to the economy’s growth and vitality, these critical sectors have historically provided lower-paying jobs with few benefits, worker protections and opportunities for advancement. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with the Department of Justice, today announced the award of more than $63 million in funding to enhance the Bureau of Prisons’ existing rehabilitation and reentry efforts by partnering with workforce agencies in 11 additional states.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $800,000 in funding to the Washington State Department of Employment Security to provide for disaster-relief employment and training services for people in southwest Washington communities affected significantly by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $94 million in grants to support 34 public-private partnerships to provide worker-centered sector strategy training programs in 25 states and the District of Columbia to meet workforce needs created by the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $204 million in grants to support strengthening and modernizing unemployment insurance systems in 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the grants will also help make these systems more reliable and accessible to users.

In the week ending September 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 201,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 220,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,000, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 224,500 to 224,750.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $1.5 million in grants to support efforts by five community organizations to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harassment against underserved and marginalized women workers.

WASHINGTON – With opioid abuse responsible for about four deaths each day in Massachusetts, the commonwealth cites the epidemic as its greatest public health threat. To help address the crisis, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $1 million in funding for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to address the impact of the opioid crisis on the local workforce in Berkshire County.

WASHINGTON – Amid a sharp national increase in opioid overdoses, Washington state has also experienced significant increases in opioid-related drug overdose deaths, as deaths nearly doubled from 827 in 2019 to 1,619 in 2021. To help address the crisis, the U.S.

WASHINGTON – On Aug. 30, 2023, Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm along the northeastern Gulf Coast, bringing high winds, storm surges and massive flooding to Florida and the region. To support disaster-relief jobs and employment and training services as the state recovers from the impacts, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced an initial award of more than $6.6 million to assist people in 33 counties.

In the week ending September 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 220,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 216,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,500, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 229,250 to 229,500.

ASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today – in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Northern Border Regional Commission – more than $44 million in awards to provide career training and supportive services to help workers in these areas secure good jobs in stable, high-demand occupations. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $57 million in grants to support projects in 12 states that support unemployed and underemployed people to access, return to, or advance in high-quality jobs in infrastructure, environment and climate, the care economy and other critical and growing industries. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today proposed a new rule that would strengthen protections for farm workers in the H-2A program and help prevent abuses that undermine wages and standards for all agricultural workers.