As part of an effort to tighten up on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is considering proposing a rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers' status. Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris told a Senate hearing on June 17 that some employers deliberately misclassify workers as independent contractors or "leased" or outsourced workers and can gain an advantage in the market over competitors that adhere to the law. Harris said the department's Wage and Hour Division is mulling a proposed regulation that would require companies to carry
As part of a campaign to boost recruitment and stem an expected 30% retirement rate, the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association announced on June 7 the launch of a new joint website, www.WorkForWater.org, which focuses on careers in water-related industry sectors. The site has landing pages for high school, vocational and college students, second-career and retired-military job seekers, and advanced science professionals, the groups say. The site is a gateway to many existing recruiting and retention resources but seeks new contributions as well.
Construction’s unemployment rate continued downward in May, its third-straight monthly improvement, as seasonal construction labor markets started to kick in, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Image Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction Unemployment Rate for May. BLS says construction’s May jobless rate was 20.1%, down from April’s 21.8%. But May’s rate still exceeded the May 2009 mark of 19.2%, making it the worst May rate for construction unemployment since 1976. What is perhaps most worrisome about construction’s May figures is the industry’s seasonally adjusted loss of 35,000 jobs, after posting increases in March and April. �Modest gains we
Construction's unemployment rate continued downward in May, its third-straight monthly improvement, despite a loss of 35,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. In its latest monthly employment report, released on June 4, BLS said construction's May jobless rate dipped to 20.1%, from April's 21.8%. But the rate for last month still exceeded the May 2009 mark of 19.2%. Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors' chief economist, noted that it was the worst May rate for construction since 1976, when BLS began that statistical series. Moreover, construction's 21.8% rate remains the highest among industry sectors and is well above the second-worst
The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) is sending a blunt message to the public about the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, hoping to generate political momentum behind several stalled bills in Congress. Photo: Bruce Buckley/ENR Example of the type of billboard the union is sponsoring var so = new FlashObject("http://natalie.feedroom.com/construction/natoneclip/Player.swf","Player", "300", "169", "8", "#FFFFFF");so.addVariable("skin", "natoneclip");so.addVariable("site", "construction");so.addVariable("fr_story", "bc6ff11c753f25a77c31f7d5382f3db377020526&rf");so.addVariable("hostURL", document.location.href);so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("allowFullScreen", "true");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.write("flashcontent"); The initial budget for the program is about $2 million and could rise significantly from that level, the union said. LIUNA kicked off its campaign, dubbed Build America 2010, in Colorado on May 18. It includes billboards unveiled in
Construction’s unemployment rate posted its second consecutive monthly decline, even as the industry added 14,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. BLS’s latest monthly employment report, released on May 5, showed construction’s April jobless rate improved to 21.8% from March’s 24.9%. However, much of the improvement was seasonal as construction activity started to improve with the weather. Discounting the seasonality, construction unemployment in April was still the highest in over a decade. Last month’s rate fell well above last April’s 18.7% rate as well as the 8.7% average rate for April between 2000 and 2008. Construction’s
You might think Bill Dunn Sr., who heads up one of the nation’s largest prison builders, is trying to undo a part of the family business by starting a jobs program for ex-cons. Yet Dunn, 86, whose firm has been successful at building around 50 jails in the last 10 years, is troubled deeply by the prison system’s burden on society. “We felt that maybe we had an obligation to help people who needed a chance,” says the chairman emeritus of Kansas City, Mo.-based JE Dunn Construction. Building prisons, he says, costs $50,000 to $100,000 per cell. —Bill Dunn Sr.
Construction's unemployment rate posted its second-consecutive monthly decline, as the industry added 14,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. BLS's latest monthly employment report, released on May 5, showed that construction's April jobless rate improved to 21.8%, from March's 24.9%. But it remained higher than the April 2009 level of 18.7%. Construction's unemployment rate hit a 10-year peak in February, reaching 27.1%. The industry's rates are not adjusted for seasonal variations, and thus tend to improve as the volume of work rises in the spring and summer and hit bottom in the winter lull. Over all,
Arizona’s newly enacted immigration law, which was meant to stem human trafficking and drug-related border violence, could have long-term consequences for the state’s flagging construction industry, in which employment is down 20% from a year ago. Photo: AP/Wideworld Construction employers worry they will be held responsible if workers are found to be undocumented. On April 23, Republican Gov. Janice K. Brewer signed into law Senate Bill 1070, which allows police to detain individuals under “reasonable suspicion” of being an illegal alien. Failure to prove citizenship may result in arrest and a $500 fine. The law has sparked nationwide protests and
Between the Obama administration and Democratic majorities in Congress, construction unions have had the political wind at their backs for more than a year. But with industry unemployment just under 25%, labor hopes the winds of change won’t hit Capitol Hill during November’s midterm elections. Photo: Bruce Buckley/ENR Energy Chief Chu noted nuclear projects. With a mission to keep its momentum going, hundreds of construction union leaders met in Washington, D.C., for their annual legislative conference on April 18-21. Labor leaders savored such policy victories as the repeal of the Bush- era ban on federal project labor agreements and pushing
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