Workforce

Education linked to better employment prospects upon release from prison

People who get an education while serving time are less likely to return to prison and more likely to enter the job market, an analysis finds.

  • By Ben Stickle and Steven Sprick Schuster, The Conversation

Apprenticeship programs are growing as the public sector faces workforce shortages

Registered apprenticeships, infrequently used by state and local governments in the past, are gaining the attention of staff-starved agencies.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

How paid sick leave helps cure economic instability

Cities and states are enacting paid leave policies that prevent low-wage workers from choosing between rest and recovery or work and a paycheck.

  • By Molly Bolan

Feds calls on states to reevaluate unemployment benefit accessibility

Access to unemployment has been declining and differs drastically across demographic groups. The Labor Department is urging states and territories to do something about it in new guidance.

  • By Natalie Alms

Governor orders end to remote work, directs state workers back to offices

But concerns remain as one official says the move could hurt recruiting and retention of state employees amid staff shortages.

  • By Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner

Sununu’s ‘Recovery Friendly Workplace’ serves as model for new national institute

A new national institute will provide training and resources for companies willing to hire and help people in substance-abuse recovery, and the White House's model legislation will help states create recovery-ready workplaces.

  • By Hadley Barndollar, New Hampshire Bulletin

After SCOTUS setback, a new tack for student debt cancellation

Advocates highlight recent modifications to a program available to public sector workers, from urban planners to firefighters, that allows borrowers to receive a credit for past repayment periods.

  • By Gintautas Dumcius, Commonwealth Beacon

Missouri becomes the 14th state with a majority-women supreme court

Abortion and gender-affirming care for trans youth could be among the issues the court faces.

  • By Candice Norwood, The 19th

The cyber workforce gap is growing

Despite a significant increase in the number of people entering the cyber field in 2023, demand is still far outpacing that supply.

  • By Natalie Alms

Counties use high school students as poll workers to shore up staff

Aging poll workers leaves some Indiana communities short-staffed during election time. A statewide program helps fill those workforce gaps by recruiting high school students to help with administrative tasks during elections.

  • By Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle

How one innovation hub plans to diversify the tech industry

Colorado’s quantum innovation hub consortium will ensure minorities and workers in rural and low-income areas get a fair share of the millions of jobs they believe the hub will create.

  • By Kery Murakami

Workers are dying from extreme heat. Why aren’t there laws to protect them?

In the absence of federal protections, some states have attempted to pass their own regulations after experiencing worker fatalities during record-breaking heat waves.

  • By Jana Cholakovska and Nate Rosenfield, Grist
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AI bots are helping 911 dispatchers with their workload

Artificial intelligence is quietly revolutionizing non-emergency calls in 911 dispatch centers.

  • By Amanda Hernández, Stateline

Rising Stars nominations extended to October 28

Nominations for the 2023 Rising Stars program are being extended. Please help us spotlight innovators across federal, state and local and governments, as well as up-and-coming talent at contracting firms.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Not all states will go off the child care cliff

The end of federal child care subsidies will impact states differently depending on how they used the money and if they plan to spend their own.

  • By Kery Murakami

If jobs won’t bring people downtown to work, what will?

The economies of six big cities took a hit as workers went remote or moved to areas with lower costs of living. But by focusing on downtown housing and leaning into already strong local industries, municipal leaders may be able to reverse the trend.

  • By Molly Bolan

Four tax credits that states can adopt to ease the child care crisis

With the end of federal child care subsidies, states are scrambling for ways to keep the industry afloat and parents working. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.

  • By Molly Bolan

Understanding Gen Z in the public sector

Managers can benefit by better engaging and communicating with the newest generation of workers in cities, counties and states.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Amid a youth mental health crisis, teachers get schooled

Educators, who are on the front lines of the issue, are increasingly being trained in how to recognize signs of mental distress in their students.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Fossil fuel workers have the skills to succeed in green jobs, but location is a major barrier to a just transition

COMMENTARY | In a greener future, what becomes of current fossil fuel workers? Despite possessing skills applicable to green industries, their geographical locations will limit their opportunities.

  • By Morgan R. Frank and Junghyun Lim, The Conversation

A group of US governors promises to install 20 million heat pumps by 2030

And they want to put at least 40 percent of them in disadvantaged communities.

  • By Katie Myers, Grist