Thu, 05/27/2021 - 4:27pm tim
Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Labor announced the recipients of the 2021 Vermont Internship Program today, awarding a total of $462,500 to 20 organizations throughout Vermont.
The Department of Labor promotes internships by providing grants to organizations that support or connect Vermont employers with student-interns from regional technical centers or postsecondary educational institutions.
“Internships play an important role in growing Vermont’s labor force by connecting students with employers as they gain experience and skills that will prepare them for future careers,” said Governor Scott. “By allowing a student to get their foot in the door with Vermont employers, these connections can help keep them here in the state for their careers.”
(The Legislature adjourned May 21; this represents the most recent report from the VDOL.)
Figure 2 shows the spike in suspected fraudulent claims.
Peak was April 25, 2020, and last bar is May 15, 2021
VDOL tables as prepared for the Legislature. Click HERE to see full report.
During the benefit week ending May 15th there were 28,406 weekly claims filed. This is a decrease of 3,750 continued claims filed over the previous benefit week. During the week ending May 15, $9,040,843 in benefits were paid out to claimants.
Claimants have started to enter work search information on weekly claims if they do not qualify for an exemption. Earlier last week, an issue prompted some claimants to enter work search information when they should have been exempt (e.g. self-employed, independent contractor, etc.) and others who were not prompted to enter work search information when they should have been.
Fri, 05/21/2021 - 10:44am tim
Vermont Business Magazine According to household data released by the Vermont Department of Labor today, the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April was 2.9 percent. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in April was 6.1 percent, which was an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised March estimate. Vermont has the fifth lowest rate in the nation, one-tenth behind Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Utah. Last month Vermont was tied for lowest.
Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington said: “It’s important to look at this month’s report with a bit of historical context. We are now 12 months from the worst part of the current recession. In April 2020, there were fewer than 200,000 private-sector jobs, a decline of over 60,000 from April 2019. Due in part to the steep decline last spring, this month’s employment numbers as reported by Vermon
Fri, 05/21/2021 - 1:41pm tim
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims fell dramatically to pre-pandemic levels the last two weeks as the Vermont Department of Labor was able to eliminate the vast bulk of fraudulent claims by requiring new claimants to call the department directly. As the VDOL discovered, and other states have realized, criminal operations were barraging online systems with false claims. Also, the work search system technical issue at VDOL that surfaced on May 16 is now resolved. The Vermont work search requirement for unemployment insurance filers was reinstated on May 9.
Meanwhile, the Legislature is on the verge of removing 2020 from the unemployment calculation. If they hadn t, rates to employers would have escalated and the UI Trust Fund would have unnecessarily ballooned. Commissioner Michael Harrington had urged the Legislature to change the law regarding how employers are charged to meet the UI Trust Fund obligati