WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $90.4 million in YouthBuild grants to prepare young adults not enrolled in school or participating in the labor market for jobs in construction and other in-demand industries through apprenticeship and other career pathways, especially jobs that support clean energy technologies.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a date change for the next public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. The discretionary committee will convene for an in-person meeting from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 16, 2022, in the department’s Frances Perkins Building in Washington.

In the week ending April 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 184,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 185,000 to 186,000. The 4-week moving average was 177,250, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 172,250 to 172,750.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking public comment on proposed revisions to Wagner-Peyser Act regulations to include Employment Service staff in public employment offices in state merit systems, and improve service delivery for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

In the week ending April 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 185,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 166,000 to 167,000. The 4-week moving average was 172,250, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 170,000 to 170,250.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and the Austrian Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Dr. Margarete Schramböck signed a memorandum of understanding today to expand Registered Apprenticeships among Austrian companies and Austrian-invested companies in the U.S. to promote job creation in both countries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded more than $189 million to workforce agencies in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia to operate their Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments programs. This award is a $40 million increase over the previous year.

In the week ending April 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 166,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 31,000 from 202,000 to 171,000. The 4-week moving average was 170,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 30,500 from 208,500 to 178,000.

In the week ending March 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 187,000 to 188,000. The 4-week moving average was 208,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 211,750 to 212,000.

WASHINGTON – In an effort to support greater public awareness and improve delivery of unemployment insurance services to people who face obstacles to access, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $15.9 million in equity grant funding to state unemployment insurance systems in Alabama, Idaho, Missouri and New Mexico.  

WASHINGTON – In a first-of-its-kind action, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued guidance to all 50 states and the nation’s territories encouraging them to designate more than 2,300 locally operated American Job Centers as voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act.

In the week ending March 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 187,000, a decrease of 28,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since September 6, 1969 when it was 182,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,750, a decrease of 11,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 223,000 to 223,250.

WASHINGTON – American Indians and Alaska Natives have traditionally faced higher unemployment rates and lower workforce participation, and attained lower levels of education – subjecting them to lower wages, fewer career opportunities and a continued cycle of unemployment and poverty.

WASHINGTON – With opioid-related overdoses linked to 3,237 deaths in Ohio in 2018, and the state’s neonatal units reporting higher rates of newborns suffering opioid withdrawal, opioid abuse remains a serious health emergency.

In the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claimswas 214,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 227,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 8,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 231,250 to 231,750.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a supplemental award of $800,000 in funds to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Department of Labor – Workforce Investment Agency Division to support continued pandemic-related, disaster-relief employment.

WASHINGTON – Just months after one of the largest structure fires in North Carolina’s history, at QVC Rocky Mount Inc.’s Distribution Center in December 2021, thousands of workers found themselves facing unemployment. In February 2022, 1,953 fell victim as layoffs began, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor to respond to help affected workers in 10 counties find new employment opportunities.  

WASHINGTON – Known as the “Air Capital of the World,” the Wichita, Kansas, area is home to some of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, so there was a significant ripple effect in the region after the grounding of the Boeing 737 in 2020. Two years later, industry layoffs continue to affect more than 9,000 workers, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor to provide funding to help workers in six counties prepare for new employment opportunities.

In the week ending March 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 215,000 to 216,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,250, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 230,500 to 230,750.

WASHINGTON – On the heels of a strong jobs report, workers and jobseekers are taking advantage of opportunities to acquire new skills and explore better opportunities. Many of those workers will seek help from the public workforce system – a network of federal, state and local government-funded programs that provide services to workers, jobseekers and employers that lead to economic growth and improved skills for workers.