U.S. Department of Labor

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Idaho Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter today announced a Job Corps Demonstration Project that will make Idaho the first state in the nation to assume operational control of a Job Corps center and the responsibility to provide skills instruction to Job Corps students.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Department of Military Affairs today announced a new Job Corps demonstration project to serve at-risk youth with job skills instruction through an expansion of the Florida National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program at Camp Blanding near Starke, Florida.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of SeasonalJobs.dol.gov, a mobile-friendly online portal that is designed to help Americans identify and apply for open seasonal and temporary jobs. The site is a complete redesign of the Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC) Public Job Registry, which has served as a repository for seasonal and temporary jobs.

In the week ending December 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 206,000. The 4-week moving average was 222,000, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,750.

In the week ending December 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 206,000, a decrease of 27,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 231,000 to 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,750, a decrease of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 228,000 to 228,500.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced additional incremental funding for a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the California Department of Employment Development to assess workforce needs in response to wildfires that affected the state in October and December 2017.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) has been approved for the California Department of Employment Development to assess workforce needs in response to November 2018 wildfires throughout California. The funding will assist the state in response to the Camp Fire in Butte County, which is now the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.

In the week ending December 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 234,000 to 235,000. The 4-week moving average was 228,000, an increase of 4,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 223,250 to 223,750.

In the week ending November 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 224,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,250, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 218,500.

In the week ending November 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 224,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 5,000 from 216,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,250 from 215,250 to 216,500.

In the week ending November 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 214,000. The 4-week moving average was 215,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 213,750.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant (NHE DWG) award to the California Department of Employment Development to provide employment services to eligible individuals in rural California counties impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.  

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today announced the start of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). This year’s theme – Apprenticeships: Creating Tomorrow – celebrates the impact apprenticeship programs have in helping Americans learn skills for jobs in growing industries. NAW will continue through November 18.

WASHINGTON, DC – To make it easier for Americans to find and fill open jobs, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal for employers seeking temporary labor certifications through the H-2B and H-2A visa programs to advertise jobs online. 

In the week ending November 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 213,750 to 214,000.

WASHINGTON, DC – Respecting the breadth and diversity of individual state economies, the U.S. Department of Labor today proposed broad flexibility for states in determining occupations for drug testing of unemployment compensation (UC) applicants. In 2017, Congress passed, and the President signed, a resolution of disapproval revoking a 2016 rule that imposed a one-size-fits-all approach on states with regard to identifying occupations for regular drug testing.

In the week ending October 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 215,000 to 216,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 211,750 to 212,000.

WASHINGTON, DC – As the U.S. Department of Labor continues efforts to confront visa program fraud and abuse, the Department announced that it will publish updates to the H-1B Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035) and worker complaint form (Form WH-4). These changes are intended to improve H-1B program compliance and promote greater transparency regarding the employment of foreign temporary workers.

The Labor Condition Application form updates will require employers to provide more detailed information about H-1B worker employment conditions, including:

In the week ending October 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 215,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,750, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised average of 211,750.

In the week ending October 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. 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, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 209,500 to 209,750.