By Rex Nutting, July 8, 2005 WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 4-year low of 5% in June as the economy added 146,000 payroll jobs, the Labor Department said Friday.

After adjusting for upward revisions to April and May payrolls, June payrolls were close to the 194,000 gain expected by Wall Street economists. May's payrolls were revised to 104,000 from 78,000 previously.

The unemployment rate was last at 5% in September 2001. The drop in the jobless rate is not good news, as it was largely due to fewer people looking for work, said Drew Matus, economist at Lehman Bros. "People do not believe that employment opportunities are plentiful."

Average hourly earnings rose 3 cents, or 0.2%, to $16.06 in June, as expected. Earnings are up 2.7% in the past year, falling behind the 2.8% rise in consumer prices. "Overall, jobs growth has been erratic and unexceptional," said Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland. 'The quality of jobs created has been mediocre at best and discouraging to be realistic."

The average workweek was unchanged at 33.7 hours in June, as May's average workweek was revised down a tenth. The factory workweek was also unchanged at 40.4 hours. Total hours worked in the economy rose 0.2%. Among 278 industries, 55% were hiring in June, down from 57% in May. The report shows continued slow improvement in the labor market, outside the manufacturing sector.

In June, the survey of some 400,000 business establishments indicated modest growth of 150,000 jobs in services, while goods-producing industries lost 4,000 jobs, including 24,000 in manufacturing. It was the largest loss of factory jobs since January. Factory employment has fallen by 96,000 since August. In June, job losses were concentrated in the auto sector, which lost 18,000 jobs.

Among 84 manufacturing industries, 35.7% were hiring in June, the lowest percentage since October 2003. Construction firms added 18,000 jobs. In the services, professional and business services added 56,000 jobs in June. Temp help jobs contributed 9,000 jobs. Health-care added 25,000 jobs. Retail added 2,000 jobs in June, while leisure and hospitality added 19,000 jobs. The figures are seasonally adjusted. In a separate survey of 60,000 households, employment rose by 163,000, while unemployment fell by 161,000.

The number of people not in the labor force increased by 240,000, helping to drive the jobless rate lower. The labor participation rate fell to 66% from 66.1%, while the employment-to-population ratio remained at 62.7%. The number of people who've been out of work longer than six months fell sharply in June to 1.31 million from 1.53 million in May, representing 17.8% of all persons officially classified as unemployed. The average duration of unemployment fell to 17.1 weeks from 18.8 weeks. Rex Nutting is Washington bureau chief of MarketWatch.

Subject: New Rules Allowing Use of WIA Title I Financial Assistance for Religious Training and Employment, and Making Other Changes to Religion-Related Regulations Governing Recipients of DOL Support Including the One-Stop Career Center Service Delivery System and the Job Corps

Purpose: To notify all State Workforce Agencies (SWA) and other stakeholders within the One-Stop Career Center service delivery system that amendments to DOL regulations permit the use, in defined circumstances, of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I financial assistance for training and employment of WIA participants in religious activities. The amendments also clarify other religion-related requirements government both the workforce investment system and other recipients of Federal support from the Department of Labor (DOL or the Department). This guidance explains and interprets the amendments and requires various action to implement them. View the complete document .

Message from Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee - July 1, 2005 -
Today I announced to all staff at the Employment Security Department the decisions that have been made regarding the reorganization of the Employment & Training and WorkSource Operations Divisions. I also formalized a decision to close the Pierce County TeleCenter.

The WorkSource Operations Division is now configured geographically within the state's 12 workforce development areas. We have moved administration functions to the Employment and Training Division, allowing the WorkSource Operations Division a more focused emphasis on service delivery. We are convinced that this will promote greater coordination between our agency and you, our friends and partners, at the Workforce Development Councils.

I am encouraging our staff during these challenging times to continue to provide the highest level of service to customers. Serving customers is the only reason that our organization exists. At the same time, making Employment Security sustainable protects those services our customers need most.

Employment Security will continue to examine our operations with the goal of increasing effectiveness, removing redundancy and providing better service. We are determined to become an organization that regularly meets its business goals. These recent changes will help us to better align our core business functions.

I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for your individual and collective input to this decision-making process. Our leadership is thankful for your willingness to provide honest and straightforward information about what is in the best interest to the future of our system. I believe these choices will lead to greater trust and cooperation in our WorkSource partnerships. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Karen T. Lee,
Commissioner Employment Security Department

June 28, 2005, Yakima - At today's Tri-County Workforce Council meeting, a resolution was passed to begin the negotiations and work to make the Council a private non-profit entity, thereby ending its status as a Yakima County department. The resolution reads...
"Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Tri-County Workforce Council desires to establish a new alternative entity to fiscally administer workforce programs in the Tri-County Workforce Development Area, and,
To form committees to meet with respective county commissioners requesting recognition for the Tri-County Workforce Council as a regional planning commission, and,
Revise the Tri-County Workforce Council Bylaws, and,
Revise the Tri-County Workforce Council Joint Power's Agreement, and,
Seek Governor approval, and,
Revise Strategic and Operations Plans, and,
Develop transition agreement with Yakima County to begin October 1, 2005."

This report, from the State Workforce Board, updates progress during 2004, including legislative support, educational capacity expansion, recruitment and retention efforts, and health skill panels in local areas. Also included are task force committee reports and next steps.

The Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) has set forth its proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the School Dropout Prevention (SDP) program. The Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2005 and later years. OVAE intends "the priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria to strengthen the quality of applications and provide greater understanding of the Department of Education's intent regarding the direction of this program." More...

May 10, 2005 - Yakima - The Tri-County Workforce Council released drafts of the 2005 - 2007 Strategic Plan and the 2005 - 2007 Operations Plan for public review. You may download copies of the plans from the Library page of this website, or you can contact The Workforce Council office to obtain a printed version.

Solid April job growth said to refute soft-patch theory - Deflating fears of a new soft patch in the economy, U.S. businesses created a larger-than-expected 274,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department reported Friday. The unemployment rate remained at 5.2%, while average hourly wages rose by 5 cents to $16, or 0.3%. Hourly wages are up 2.7% in the past year More...

Layoff announcements by U.S. companies fell to their lowest level since November 2000, outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas said Tuesday. Job reductions fell 33% in April to 57,861. More...

PacifiCare Foundation will sponsor seventy $2,000 scholarships for Spanish-speaking, bicultural high school students who want to pursue careers in the health care industry. The scholarships are open to high school seniors with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 and fluency in Spanish and English. Guidelines and application forms available at www.pacificare.com/commonPortal/index.jsp and closing date is June 3

Renton Technical College will host a Construction Workforce Conference on May 9 and 10. Contact Judy Amico at 425.235.2352, ext. 2217 has more details, or email her at jamico@rtc.edu.

"Partnering for Strong Communities" is the theme of this year's Workforce Board annual leadership conference at the Ridpath Hotel in Spokane, October 24-26. The statewide conference draws more than 500 attendees each year from Washington workforce development, postsecondary, career and technical education, labor, and business. Guest speakers will include KimberlyGreen, executive director, National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium and Stephanie Powers, chief executive officer for the National Association of Workforce Boards. The event also includes the Governor's Awards for Best Practices in Workforce Development with new categories this year. Applications go out May 1. More details to come.

This TEGL provides the revised policy on common performance measures for Federal job training and employment programs. It supersedes TEGL 15-03. Apendices can be found at: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=1711. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

From Don Meseck, Regional Labor Market Analyst: "An estimated 9,800 Yakima County residents were out of work this March versus 12,400 in the corresponding month during 2004, a substantial 2,600-person decrease in the number of people unemployed." Read his full report on the March Labor Economy in Yakima County.

This TEGL, released 3/25/05, To provide states and outlying areas with FY 2005 Congressional Rescissions for the WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker programs; WIA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker Program, and Youth Activities allotments for PY 2005; additional PY 2005 WIA Section 173(e) funds for eligible states; preliminary allotments for PY 2005 public Employment Service (ES) activities, as required by Section 6(b)(5) of the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended; Reemployment Services and Workforce Information Grants for PY 2005; and Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Welfare-to-Work (W-t-W) Tax Credit allotments for FY 2005. Read the full TEGL here.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announces the availability of FY 2005 funds for the Older Adult Mental Health Targeted Capacity Expansion Grant to help assist communities in providing services and building infrastructure to support and meet the diverse mental health needs of older adults.

Approximately $4.4 million will be available to fund up to 11 awards to build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health outreach, treatment, and prevention services, along with resources to support the delivery of services to persons 60 years of age and older. State and local public health agencies are eligible to apply.

The application deadline is May 5, 2005, and applicants are encouraged to apply on-line through www.grants.gov.

For more information, visit the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov or call their clearinghouse at 1-800-729-6686.
Bettie Rundlett Program Coordinator
Area Health Education Center
Washington State University Extension
310 N. Riverpoint Boulevard (location)
P. O. Box 1495 (mailing)
Spokane, WA 99210-1495
(509) 358-7646
(509) 358-7647 fax
email: rundlett@wsu.edu

Jobless rate rises to 5.4% while wages are steady

By Greg Robb, MarketWatch March 4, 2005 WASHINGTON - The U.S. labor market didn't disappoint in February, as 262,000 new jobs were added to the economy, the Labor Department reported Friday. This is the largest monthly increase in payrolls since October. The increase was at the top end of forecasts. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had an average forecast of 221,000 new jobs, with a range of 150,000 to 300,000.

3/1/05 - Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped four-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 5.9 percent in December to 5.5 percent in January, the lowest monthly rate in four years, Employment Security Commissioner Sylvia P. Mundy announced today. The comparable national rate also fell from 5.4 percent in December to 5.2 percent in January. However, Washington’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 5.9 percent to 6.3 percent in January. Read More...

This TEGL, released 2/23/05, encourages states and local areas to include entrepreneurial training among the options available to WIA clients. This includes the listing of self-employment training opportunities on the Eligible Training Provider List, and more. Read the full TEGL here.

WorkSource Yakima, in conjunction with the Tri-County Workforce Council, the City of Yakima, the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Yakima county Commissioners announce their presentation of Job Fair 2005. They are committed to meeting the workforce needs of the business community, and invite businesses to participate in and support this event.

Job Fair 2005 is scheduled for April 12th, 2005 at the Yakima Convention Center from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm. These hours accommodate unemployed as well as employed workers seeking career opportunities. To participate, please download the registration form from the WorkSource Central Washington website. Further details of the Job Fair can be found there, as well. You can also contact the Business Recruitment Committee at 509-573-4586.

Training and Employment Notice (TEN17-04) informs of a mystery shopper project to assess where our system stands in becoming demand-driven. Do we:
  -- have a firm grasp of our local economy
  -- strategically invest and leverage resources
  -- build partnerships between business and education that develop solutions to workforce challenges, and
  -- allocate training dollars to provide the skills and competencies necessary to support industry now and in the future.
The TEN can be read at the DOL website.

The four-week average of new claims dropped by 4,000 to stand at 311,750, the lowest since Nov. 4, 2000. Read the full report.

By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 10:15 AM ET Feb. 2, 2005 WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. corporations announced 92,351 layoffs in January, down 15 percent from December's tally, outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas said Wednesday. It's the first month since August that planned job cuts were below 100,000, the firm said. Planned reductions were down 21 percent from January 2004. More than a third of January's layoffs were in three sectors: government, financial services and automotive, which each cut more than 10,000 jobs in January. Telecommunications companies cut fewer than 1,500 jobs in January, but that number is expected to soar in coming months.

"Merger activity is starting to accelerate in many industries," said John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm. "On Monday alone, there were three major deals announced, including the mega-merger between SBC (SBC: news, chart, profile) and AT&T (T: news, chart, profile) , which is likely to result in significant job cuts." M&A activity was the second-leading cause of layoffs in January, behind cost cutting. The Challenger data are not seasonally adjusted. Since January is typically a heavy job-cutting month, the fact that job cuts declined from December "is a sign of job market improvement," Challenger said.

The Challenger survey covers only a small portion of job losses; most small businesses do not announce job reductions. The announced reductions can occur immediately or over time. They can be accomplished through layoffs or voluntary measures, such as retirement. According to government data, there were 1.53 million layoffs and involuntary discharges during November, the most recent data available. Other government statistics show that 7.31 million jobs were lost in the first quarter of the year, while 7.75 million jobs were created. In December, nonfarm payrolls grew by 157,000, up from 137,000 in November, government data show. Job growth averaged about 185,000 last year. January's payroll data will be released on Friday. Economists are predicting net growth of about 189,000.

Announcing the Soon-to-be-Published Proposed Revisions to the Planning Guidance and Instructions for Submission of the Strategic Five-Year Plan for Title I of the WIA of 1998 and the Wagner-Peyser Act; and Workforce Investment Act Unified Planning Guidance.

The new Strategic Plans, due to USDOL this summer, will be for only two (2) years, so that, after WIA Reauthorization is passed, they can be re-written for the next five years according to the new legislation.

Access the TEGL at DOL-ETA's website.

The Workforce Council has allocated $30,000 award to the Health Skills Panel to fund training projects. At this time, the Health Skills Panel is calling for Concept Papers to identify incumbent worker training needs from health sector businesses within Yakima, Kittitas and Klickitat counties. Visit our Procurement Page for details.

1/7/05 - By Rex Nutting WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - U.S. nonfarm payrolls grew by a seasonally adjusted 157,000 in December while the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.4 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. With upward revisions of 34,000 to previous months, payroll growth was close to expectations of 178,000. For all of 2004, 2.231 million jobs were added, the best since 1999. Average hourly earnings rose by 2 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $15.86 in December, less than the 0.2 percent expected by economists surveyed by CBS MarketWatch. The average workweek added back a tenth of an hour to 33.8 hours in December. The total number of hours worked in the economy grew by 0.4 percent.

OLYMPIA - Dec. 30, 2004 - Gov. Gary Locke today announced he is awarding $300,000 to local workforce development councils and their local partners to further improve workforce development in the state. The funds are from the Governor's Discretionary portion of the federal Workforce Investment Act state allocation.

"Our state's 12 workforce development councils are working hard to raise the level of worker training and education in this state to meet employers' needs, and they are succeeding," Locke said. "They exceeded their targets (both state and federal) in several categories last year, and the money being awarded will go toward projects that will further our goal of a highly skilled workforce for Washington state."

Awards are as follows:

King (King County)	$45,227		Pierce (Pierce County)	$36,878
Tri-County (includes Yakima, Kittitas, and Klickitat counties)	$35,403		North Central (includes Chelan, Okanogan, Grant, Douglas, and Adams counties)	$31,729
Pacific Mountain (includes Grays Harbor, Mason, Lewis, Thurston, and Pacific counties)	$29,348		Snohomish (Snohomish County)	$29,832
Southwest (includes Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Skamania, and Clark counties)	$25,494		Eastern (includes Ferry, Pend Oreille, Garfield, Stevens, Columbia, Lincoln, Whitman, Asotin, and Walla Walla counties)	$13,438
Olympic (includes Clallam, Kitsap, and Jefferson counties)	$18,863		Northwest (includes Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties)	$17,237
Benton-Franklin (Benton and Franklin counties)	$ 4,059		Spokane (Spokane County)	$12,492

Awards are given to workforce areas for high performance in categories such as employment, job retention, earnings gain, and customer satisfaction for adults, displaced workers and youth. Award amounts depend on whether the workforce areas exceeded their targets, the amount by which targets were exceeded and the population size of the workforce area. The awards are determined by the state Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and administered by the state's Employment Security Department.