Shared Prosperity in Kansas City: A Chance to Get Ahead
Editor’s note: Leading up to Labor Day 2015, Secretary Tom Perez is traveling across the country to talk with America’s workers, businesses, and state and local leaders about how we can work together...
View ArticleShared Prosperity in Portland: A Job With Family Values
Editor’s note: Leading up to Labor Day 2015, Secretary Tom Perez is traveling across the country to talk with America’s workers, business owners, and state and local leaders about how we can work...
View ArticleA Different Way of Doing Business: New Belgium Brewing
Editor’s Note: This post is a part of a new series called “Our Voice at Work” which will run in the week’s leading up to the first-ever White House Summit on Worker Voice on Oct. 7. The series will...
View ArticleReady to Work NJ Resolves Growing Firm’s Search for Skilled Production Employees
Editor’s Note: The following originally ran in the New Jersey Community College Consortium magazine. It has been published here with permission from the original author. Jeannette Vasquez’s resume...
View ArticleThe Caregiving Challenge
“Mama…” said the small five year old voice from the backseat, “Mama, do you love Boppi more than me?” I was headed to the airport to fly to Omaha − again. It was the fall that Coleman was starting...
View ArticleZIP Code ≠ Destiny
Last month, I met a young man named Donny during a visit to New Jersey to tour the facilities of YouthBuild Camden. Before YouthBuild, Donny felt he was on the wrong path and headed toward a life on...
View ArticleBeyond the Model Minority Myth: Investing in the well-being of the Asian...
Editor’s Note: This has been cross-posted from the Department of Housing and Urban Development blog. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are now the fastest growing racial group in the...
View ArticleExpanding Opportunity for Young Native Americans
Last year President Obama met with young people at the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota and heard about their struggles and aspirations. He was so inspired by his meeting that he came back to...
View ArticleA Time To Celebrate Uniquely American Apprenticeship
Editor’s Note: The first National Apprenticeship Week will take place from November 1-7. You can find out how to participate here. There are more than 445,000 active apprentices across the country and...
View ArticleEmpowering Communities to Serve Disconnected Youth
We all share the goal of improving education, employment, and other key outcomes for youth, especially those who are disconnected from work, school, or other social supports. The Labor Department’s...
View ArticleMeasuring Real Impacts for Workers
We tend to measure progress with numbers. During fiscal year 2014, Wage and Hour Division investigations found more than $240 million owed to more than 270,000 workers whose employers violated the law...
View ArticleFulfilling a Promise to Help Tribal Communities
At the White House Tribal Nations Conference in December, I gave attendees my word that the Department of Labor would clarify our grant guidelines to make sure that federally recognized tribes can...
View ArticleOne Year of MBK: We All Succeed When We All Succeed
Lee este artículo en español. This weekend, I’ll have the privilege of traveling to Selma, Alabama, for the 50th anniversary commemoration of “Bloody Sunday,” when peaceful demonstrators were brutally...
View ArticleGetting Young People on the Path to Financial Success
Editor’s Note: Today Secretary Perez announced a partnership with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in coordination with the League of Cities, to integrate financial literacy skills training...
View ArticleHelp Us Build a Better Workforce System
Last July, President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the first major reform of federal job training programs in more than 15 years. The passage of the law – with strong...
View ArticleIt’s Time for Equal Pay Now
Even though women make up nearly half of the workforce, they still earn just 78 percent of a male’s earnings. The average woman loses hundreds of thousands of dollars over her working lifetime as a...
View ArticleBuilding a Brighter Future for Coal Communities
A dramatic transformation in our energy economy is driving fundamental changes in the way we power our homes, offices, factories and communities. This means cleaner air, healthier communities, and new...
View ArticleSiemens: An ApprenticeshipUSA LEADER in STEM Fields
Editor’s Note: The following guest blog post is authored by Mike Panigel, senior vice president and chief human resources office for Siemens USA. Siemens is part of ApprenticeshipUSA’s LEADER program....
View ArticleAll In on Ending Veteran Homelessness: We Stand Together
Five years ago, the Obama administration set an ambitious goal: to end homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015. Many scoffed; many continue to scoff. In the face of such skepticism, we remain...
View ArticlePartnerships: The Key to Workforce Success
As labor secretary, I get to travel around the country and meet with workers, job seekers and employers who are all helping to drive our economic recovery. We’ve made great progress over the last...
View ArticleUnlocking the Potential of All Americans
For so many people going through the criminal justice system, it can be hard to get back on their feet after they walk out of the prison house door. But if you’ve paid your debt to society, there’s no...
View ArticleA Day in the Life: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
In communities all across the country, federal, state and local governments; businesses; and community college partners are coming together to boost the economy by investing in job-driven training that...
View ArticleTravel Log: A “Gathering Place” for Hiring Veterans
Editor’s note: During her trip to Hawaii this week, Acting Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Terry Gerton offers her observations and insights from the trip. This week, I’m...
View ArticleEnsuring Equal Opportunity at American Job Centers
The cornerstone of the Department of Labor’s workforce development system is a network of American Job Centers, which are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers under one roof....
View ArticleEverything You Need to Know About Updating Overtime Pay
Last week, President Obama announced the release of a new proposed rule that would extend overtime protections to millions of hard working Americans. If implemented as proposed, the rule would increase...
View ArticleLaunching the Center for Workforce and Industry Partnerships
Our economy has made major strides since the depths of the Great Recession with 12.8 million jobs created over the past 5 years. However, for some employers, finding the right workers to help take...
View ArticleA Helping Hand: 80 Years of Unemployment Insurance
Anniversaries are a chance to reflect on the work we’ve done and what we hope for in the future. Reflecting on 80 years of the Unemployment Insurance program is especially poignant for me as the last...
View ArticleJoin the Conversation: Building Shared Prosperity for a Stronger America
Labor Day is about more than just picnics and parades; it’s about honoring hardworking Americans. In celebration of Labor Day, Secretary Perez is taking the next two weeks to travel across the country...
View ArticleBuilding Blocks for a Career in Health Care
After completing high school, Brandon Mason enrolled in San Bernardino Valley College to pursue a career in nursing. But then his mother, who had raised him on her own, was diagnosed with breast...
View ArticleCreating an Economy that Works for Everyone
We’ve accomplished a lot over the last seven years to recover from the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. The economy shed more than 2 million jobs in the three months before President Obama took...
View ArticleU.S. Ports: Investing in Engines of Economic Development and American...
U.S. ports and our marine transportation system – and the hardworking men and women behind these operations – are essential drivers of the American economy. Every day, our ports and waterways handle...
View ArticleWorker-Turned-Employer Pays it Forward
Lee este artículo en español. It’s satisfying for Wage and Hour Division investigators to recover back wages and damages for underpaid workers, but it was especially gratifying for investigator Heather...
View ArticleTurning Obstacles Into Opportunities: Help for Flint
What happened in Flint was inexcusable. As a federal official, a former local official and as a parent, I’m maddened and saddened. From public health to infrastructure, to identifying and responding to...
View ArticleIt’s About a Lot More Than Water
The contaminated water crisis has hit the Flint, Michigan, area in a way that few people outside of the city can imagine. The issues that Flint faces are far deeper than water. Like many struggling...
View ArticleInvesting in Apprenticeship, Investing in Our People
The Obama administration is “all in” on apprenticeship for a simple reason: it works. The learn-while-you-earn model is tried-and-true. It works for workers, it works for employers and it works for...
View ArticleAn Opportunity to Improve Outcomes for Disconnected Youth
Federal agencies have released a second call for bold proposals to improve education, employment, and other key outcomes for disconnected youth. Over 5 million 14-to-24-year-olds in the U.S. are out of...
View ArticleRural Means Business: Bringing Tech Jobs to Rural America
Across America, towns and businesses are seizing the opportunity to bring well-paying IT jobs to rural areas. Editor’s note: This originally was published in The Tennessean as an op-ed. A group of...
View ArticleLeading the Way on Apprenticeship in St. Louis
More companies are discovering that apprenticeship is an innovative way to train workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow. States and cities are realizing this, too, and St. Louis is helping lead the...
View ArticleReflections on Year One of Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization
One year ago today, President Obama signed into law the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015, which extends the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance program for six...
View ArticleStudent Takes a Right Turn
For Armonte Patton, the joyful May graduation day stood in stark contrast to a somber August day that set his life on a spiral four years ago. “My grandma passed away,” he told the graduating class of...
View ArticleBridging the Gap with TechHire
Startup/innovation ecosystem in Kansas City is booming thanks to @KCSV @KCstartupFDN @CEEDtheFuture pic.twitter.com/RUPW7B3W1k — Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) June 29, 2016 Google Fiber. Kansas City Startup...
View Article5 Things You Should Know about WIOA
Whether you are looking for a job, looking to improve your skills, or looking to hire, WIOA works for you! To get started today, visit one of the more than 2,400 American Job Centers around the country...
View ArticleSmart Investments for a Stronger Workforce
Two years ago, Congress passed the most significant legislative reform to the public workforce system in nearly 20 years − the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act − improving our...
View ArticleHow Short-Time Compensation Keeps Americans on the Job
It’s been almost four years since President Obama signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Among many other benefits, this law advanced the first substantial set of reforms to...
View ArticleAmerican Apprenticeships are Red, White, Blue … and maybe Orange
Name a European country that is among our top trading partners and whose multinationals employ more than 400,000 workers in the United States. Their highly skilled workforce extracts and processes the...
View ArticleA New Start in New Haven
Last month, I had the privilege of seeing Labor Department investments in action at the New Haven Correctional Center in Connecticut. They have taken advantage of a program called Linking to Employment...
View ArticleTaking the High Road
At the Labor Department, we’re focused on solutions that work for business, for communities, and for workers – and we know that there are lots of businesses out there that are living those solutions...
View ArticleApprenticeshipUSA is Upskilling America
Summary: Department of Labor announces over $50 million to expand apprenticeships in 36 states The key to a successful economic recovery is ensuring that everyone shares in the renewed prosperity. That...
View Article#ApprenticeshipWorks for States
To run a successful, thriving, competitive business, companies both large and small need a diverse pool of talented and knowledgeable employees. Registered apprenticeships offer a viable career pathway...
View ArticleThe Ticket to a New Life
On Jan. 4, 2012, 17-year-old Francesca Yerks of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stole a $20 shirt from the store where she worked. She was a single mom and struggling financially. And she knew it was wrong. The...
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