Labor Department News Releases Update

U.S. Department of Labor's Salute to Veterans, its annual recognition of Veterans Day. Organized by the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service, the event highlights the contributions of veterans employed by the department and the department's role in helping veterans, transitioning military service members and military families. The 2015 Salute focused on disabled veterans in the workforce in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As part of the salute, a panel discussed veterans' employment and the ways the department supports veterans and military service members in the civilian workforce. In 2014, the department helped more than one million veterans, including 150,000 veterans through the Jobs for Veterans State Grants program and helped more than 17,000 formerly homeless veterans find employment.

In an effort to promote inclusive workplaces that welcome the skills and talents of workers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy signed an alliance agreement today with the Families and Work Institute, a New York-based non-profit that conducts research to inform innovative solutions to the challenges facing today's workplaces, families and communities.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today announced a proposed rule to update existing Equal Employment Opportunity regulations for Registered Apprenticeship programs. The proposed rule would serve to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans to take part in these apprenticeship programs regardless of race, sex, color, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or sexual orientation.

In the week ending October 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 276,000, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 276,000. The 4-week moving average was 262,750, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 259,250.