劳工和劳动力发展执行办公室最近宣布，马萨诸塞州 失业率降至2.8%, the lowest rate of unemployment since January 2001.
An unemployment rate of 2.8% is great news for the Commonwealth and for job seekers looking for a new job or better job. However, it presents challenges to businesses struggling to meet their talent needs, particularly in the face of an 老龄化劳动力 that is retiring or may retire in the near future.
Tight labor markets create opportunities for workforce development and education professionals to create innovative partnerships with industry to prepare Massachusetts residents who are underemployed for better jobs and residents who are unemployed for their next job or first job. It is also an opportunity to bring people back into the labor force who have been disconnected from work for an extended period of time. This “sector strategy” will help to grow the labor force and to provide opportunities to populations that have not been able to connect to the strong economy.
In December, on behalf of Secretary Ronald Walker, II and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Commonwealth Corporation released two requests for qualifications, seeking partnerships that will train and support Massachusetts residents with limited or no attachment to the labor force for jobs that are in demand. These funding opportunities target populations that have faced high rates of chronic unemployment, as identified by a Task Force created by Governor Baker in 2015. The Task Force focused on African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, individuals with disabilities and Gulf War Era II Veterans, populations with unemployment rates ranging from 7 percent to 20 percent.
This approach to preparing Massachusetts residents for work builds partnerships of community-based organizations, multiple employers, workforce organizations and educational institutions that will design training that meets the hiring requirements of specific businesses with immediate hiring needs. These partnerships will include organizations that have experience working with individuals with limited labor force attachment and connecting individuals to the supports necessary to ensure that they are able to complete training and succeed in the workplace. The partnerships’ programs will be funded through the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund and the Health Care Workforce Transformation Fund, consistent with the demand-driven strategy prioritized by Governor Baker and Secretary Ronald Walker, II.
We know this approach works. Our last WCTF grant round, 解决中等技能差距，于 2016 年 6 月结束。该计划向 15 个组织拨款 $450 万，用于在 2013-2016 年间培训和安置失业和就业不足的求职者。我们的结果如下：
- 招聘求职者903人，完成培训817人（90%）；
- 447家企业670人就业；这是毕业生的 82% 和参与者的 74%，相比之下 全国招生安置 类似程序的 56% 速率；和，
- 其中 83% 保留了至少 6 个月，而全国平均水平为 64%，平均收入为 $15.02。
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