Director's Corner
This week, a Minnesota institution retires. Filiberto (“Fil”) Chairez, Rapid Response
Lead, concludes his career with the state after over 20 years of outstanding
service. Our quick estimates of Fil’s
impact over the years include direct presentations to an estimated 50,000 laid
off workers – people who as you know well are going through one of the most
difficult experiences of their lives.
He’s been there for each of them.
Beyond that, the policies and processes Fil developed impacted perhaps a
quarter of a million such individuals.
He has truly done a tremendous amount of work for the people of
Minnesota. Thank you, Fil!
This is the season for those of us in the Dislocated Worker
unit to count our blessings. Among them
are: our careers in public service, our colleagues here at DEED, and of course
you – our partners and friends without whom these excellent services to laid
off Minnesotans would not be available.
Thank you for all of your passion, your skill, and your dedication to
the people of Minnesota. On to 2014!
New Dislocated Worker Grants
Linder’s |
provider: Employment Action Center |grant amount: $220,000 | participants to be
served: 55
Bank of America |
provider: Employment Action Center | grant amount: $220,000 | participants to
be served: 55
IBM | provider:
WSA 8 Workforce Development, Inc | grant amount: $340,000 | participants to be
served: 85
Wells Fargo |
provider: Career Management Services | grant amount: $200,000 | participants to
be served: 50
Corner On The Market:
Measuring the Skills Gap
With Rachel Vilsack
With businesses reporting that they can’t find qualified
candidates with the right skills to fill their open jobs, it’s logical to
assume that skilled workers are scare. But aside from lacking skills, there
could be many other reasons why qualified candidates do not apply for a job or
are not considered to be a good match for the job. For instance, mismatches can
result from recruiting strategies that don’t properly identify the desired
skill set or unattractive job characteristics that discourage qualified
candidates from applying.
Over the last year, the Labor Market Information Office investigated
the potential causes of hiring difficulties by following up with employers that
reported job openings on the semi-annual Job Vacancy Survey. Employers were
asked if they had difficulty filling positions they’d posted two to five months
ago and asked why. Their responses were grouped into two categories: supply-side
factors (mismatch between job requirement and the training, skills and
experience of applicants) and demand-side factors (problems unrelated to
candidates’ qualifications, such as unattractive work hours, inadequate
compensation, or the geographic location of job).
Some of the findings were unexpected and reveal the issue
of:
- Less than a half (43 percent) of all vacancies
reported in 2012 were hard-to-fill. Hiring difficulties varied widely by occupation,
with nursing having the lowest incidence (32 percent) and production having the
highest incidence (68 percent).
- Employers were more likely to report skills
mismatches as the exclusive reason for hiring difficulties for jobs requiring
no post-secondary education.
-
Skills mismatches were concentrated in vacancies
requiring intermediate work experience, from one to three years.
- Greater Minnesota regions experienced geographic
mismatches at rates not much higher than the Twin Cities area.
And just because a job was difficult to fill didn't mean the
employer was unable to find someone to fill the position. In fact, 61 percent
of the jobs deemed “difficult to fill” were successfully filled, suggesting
that most skills mismatches were only a temporary challenge.
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Policy Updates
Laid off employees of
staffing agencies
This month, we clarified our eligibility policy regarding
potential participants laid off by a staffing agency. Previously, we required a
letter from the staffing agency stating an inability to make subsequent
placements in a similar industry or occupation. Under the updated policy, any
laid off employee of a staffing agency with an unemployment insurance
eligibility notification is deemed eligible for DW.
Did you know? Under Minnesota statute, employees of staffing
agencies whose employment term has ended must affirmatively request an
additional job assignment within five days in order to be eligible for UI
benefits. Additionally, any unemployed person who refuses a suitable job
assignment with a staffing agency risks losing his/her UI eligibility. The best
resource for your customers who have questions about their UI eligibility is
the UI website or
helpline:
Twin Cities area: 651-296-3644
Greater Minnesota: 1-877-898-9090
Comment on
Independent Grantee Performance Funding policy
The Dislocated Worker Small
Layoff Independent Grants: Performance Tier Formula policy is available for
public comment until January 15. This policy provides the formulas DEED will
use to calculate the performance awards laid out in the Procedures
for Awarding Small Layoff Funding for Independent Grantees policy. This
Procedures policy laid out five performance tier grants based on
cost-efficiency, employment / retention, wages, service to long-term unemployed
participants, and service to minority participants. The new Performance Tier
Formula policy lays out exactly how eligibility for these grants will be
calculated. Your comments are a vital
step in creating sound state policies. Thank you in advance!
Performance Tips
MN Performs Training
Metro area performance managers: are you new to MN Performs
or in need of a refresher? DEED is offering a training on MN Performs on
January 15 from 11:30 to 2:30 at DEED headquarters in downtown St. Paul. The
training will also offer a high-level performance overview and information on
other performance management tools. Space is limited: contact Jenny Bendewald at
Jennifer.Bendewald@state.mn.us
if you are interested in attending!
Credential type
One of the most common errors found during data validation
is credential type. When you record a credential in WF1, be sure you are also
including a copy of your customer’s transcript, certificate, or diploma in
their file. Not sure how to correctly enter your customer’s training in WF1? Check
out Attachment A – Credentials, Type of
Training and WF1 Activity at the bottom of our Credentials
and Training Policy. Accuracy in WF1 data entry is key to showing the
success of your customers!
NEG Corner
Seasons’ Greetings from the NEG team. Thank you for all of
your work to help Minnesotans get back to work.
As the end of the year approaches, it is a moment to reflect
and a time to prepare for next year’s
plan. We would like to hear your ideas on how we may improve NEG administration
at DEED.NEG@state.mn.us.
Also, as temperatures drop below freezing, we need to take
extra precautions. To find more information on being ready for extreme cold temperatures, visit http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
We wish you the best for the year to come!
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