Workforce Developments: June 2010
In this issue..
- Career Day at the Brickyard Assists Thousands of Jobseekers with the Fast Track to Employment
- What You Need to Know Before You Hire a Minor
- Warning, Fake Indiana Career Connect Site is a Scam for Personal Information
- Indiana's Recovery Watch
- Notes from the Commissioner
Career Day @ the Brickyard® Assists Thousands of Jobseekers with the Fast Track to Employment
Rain and unseasonably cold temperatures didn’t discourage thousands of jobseekers from attending the first ever Career Day @ the Brickyard® at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The massive job fair was sponsored by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and its Central Indiana WorkOne partners.
The event took place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, May 17, in the Plaza Pavilions behind the Pagoda at the famed 2.5-mile oval. It was free for those who pre-registered and open to the public.
More than 5,000 jobseekers registered to attend the event that offered 80 employers, hiring for more than 1,500 jobs, including; Honda, Key Bank, Wishard Health Services, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and AIT Laboratories. Employers were very pleased with the turnout and the quality of the jobseekers in attendance.
Seminars were also held for those who battled the rain to attend the event, including a discussion from racing experts for those individuals who were interested in working in the motorsports industry. Other seminars were Navigating a Career Fair, The 3-Minute Interview, and Following-Up with Employers after the Career Fair.
After the career fair, job seekers were welcome to watch practice on the track, which was scheduled to start at noon, but due to the rain, practice for the day was cancelled. Career Day @ the Brickyard® was so successful, DWD and WorkOne plan to make it a yearly event - minus the rain.
What You Need to Know Before You Hire a Minor
Vacation is just around the corner and many high school students will be looking for summer jobs. If you are a Hoosier employer, parent or minor seeking part-time employment remember to review Indiana’s Child Labor laws and the “work permit” requirement.
Nearly all minors ages 14 through 17 are required to obtain a work permit. If a minor is working as a farm laborer, domestic worker, golf caddie, newspaper carrier, performer, working for his or her own parent or is a high school graduate they are exempt from obtaining a work permit.
To obtain a work permit, a minor must first be hired by an employer. The employers must then provide the accredited school with written notice that they intend to hire the minor, as well as the hours the minor will work and the types of duties the minor will perform. All of the information an employer will need to provide can be found in the “Intent to Employ/A1” form. The form can be found online at www.in.gov/dol/files/896.pdf.
The form must be taken in person along with proof of age to the issuing officer at the accredited high school located in the district where the student lives. A school corporation can deny a work permit for poor attendance or academic performance. Minors are required to have a work permit for each job that they hold.
Even with a work permit, Indiana Child Labor laws restrict the hours that minors are permitted to work, the types of establishments in which minors are permitted to work and the types of jobs that minors can perform. Below are the hours and work restrictions for minors.
Summer Work Hours
14 and 15-year olds may not work more than eight hours per day, 40 hours per week and may not work later than 9 p.m. (June 1 – Labor Day)
16-year olds may work up to 9 hours per day, 48 hours per week, and no later than 12:00 a.m. with parental permission
17-year olds may work up to 9 hours per day, 48 hours per week, with no beginning or ending time restrictions
Work Restrictions
14 and 15-year old workers face CONSIDERABLE restrictions. Generally speaking, these restrictions prohibit cooking, baking, manufacturing, operating machinery (except basic office equipment and cash registers), construction, warehousing and transportation.
16 and 17-year olds cannot work in manufacturing plants, perform mining, logging or woodworking, operate heavy power machinery, or operate a motor vehicle. Certain exceptions are made for vocational training programs.
For more information visit www.in.gov/dol/childlabor.htm.
Warning, Fake Indiana Career Connect Site is a Scam for Personal Information
A fraudulent Web site has appeared on the Internet that seeks to lure people from http://www.indianacareerconnect.com/, the Department of Workforce Development’s career Web site to a fake site that seeks personal information. If you misspell the word career as “carreer” in the web address, you will be directed to the fraudulent site.
The fake Web site asks for personal information and claims to match you instantly with a job. To ensure you are on the correct Web page, please double check your spelling when accessing the site.
DWD’s attorneys are working to shut down the fraudulent site. In the time being, it is important that you check your spelling every time you visit http://www.indianacareerconnect.com/.
Indiana's Recovery Watch
Everyone is watching the state and national employment data, whether we are looking for a new job or considering future business development plans. It might seem like there are mixed messages, but most signs are positive. Yes, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is up slightly for Indiana and the nation, but some economists call this the “encouraged worker effect.” The labor force is growing again as people who had previously given up their job search are re-entering the labor force and looking for employment.
In Indiana, and across the nation, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) payroll employment counts were up significantly for April. In fact, Indiana has seen record breaking employment gains the past two months. In April, Indiana’s CES seasonally adjusted payroll employment increased by 22,700 from March.
This is the largest over the month increase since February 1999, and marks the fourth consecutive month of payroll employment growth for Indiana. Indiana’s CES jobs estimates have added 41,800 jobs since the current “trough” of December 2009. This is a gain of 1.5% since the start of the year. Although no one would argue that we have a lot of ground to make up, this is still among the highest percent change job growth across the nation. A well received positive sign that the recovery may be on its way to Indiana. Only a handful of other states have seen percent change in employment grow by over 1% since the start of this year.
|
CES Seasonally Adjusted Payroll Employment (in thousands) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
State |
Dec-09 |
Mar-10 |
Apr-10 |
Dec to April Jobs Change |
Dec to April % Change |
|
Indiana |
2758.8 |
2777.9 |
2800.7 |
41.9 |
1.5% |
|
Wisconsin |
2698.4 |
2714.0 |
2730.4 |
32 |
1.2% |
|
Wyoming |
280.2 |
281.5 |
283.1 |
2.9 |
1.0% |
|
Alaska |
321.5 |
326.5 |
324.8 |
3.3 |
1.0% |
|
Iowa |
1458.8 |
1473.6 |
1472.7 |
13.9 |
1.0% |
|
Minnesota |
2620.2 |
2634.8 |
2645.0 |
24.8 |
0.9% |
|
Massachusetts |
3137.6 |
3147.9 |
3167.0 |
29.4 |
0.9% |
|
New York |
8460.9 |
8507.0 |
8539.7 |
78.8 |
0.9% |
|
Illinois |
5558.2 |
5590.6 |
5609.7 |
51.5 |
0.9% |
|
Arizona |
2385.9 |
2388.7 |
2407.5 |
21.6 |
0.9% |
|
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | |||||
The Indiana industries with the largest job increases included leisure and hospitality +8,100, professional and business services +6,500, manufacturing + 5,000, and trade, transportation and utilities +3,500. The large gains in leisure and hospitality were mostly due to growth in accommodation and food services. This occurred in both full & limited service dining restaurants, and it occurred across the state. The National Restaurant Association reported that April's Restaurant Performance Index topped 100 for the first time in more than two years. This is a good sign, telling us that at least for now, people are gaining confidence and eating out across Indiana.
The Conference Board’s Help Wanted Online index also shows positive signs for continued job growth. This measure includes new, first-time online jobs and jobs reposted from the previous month from more than 1,200 major Internet job boards. The ad rate charted below represents the number of ads per 100 participants in the civilian labor force. Indianapolis job postings continue to outpace both the state and the U.S., with April showing strong growth. Similar to the CES estimates, this index has shown growth in Indiana at a steady pace since the beginning of the year. Job postings are from a variety of industry sectors, led by sales, healthcare practitioners & technicians, office administrative support, management and computer & mathematical occupations.
Source: The Conference Board HWOL Index
The real test will be watching whether or not these job openings and postings continue to translate into new hires, and job gains. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases this detail by region on a lagged basis. Look for analysis on new hires next month as we continue to monitor Indiana’s jobs picture and recovery potential.
Fellow DWD Stakeholders and Partners:
I am delighted to be joining the Department of Workforce Development. Our mission is critical. Please know that I look forward to working with you in coming months as I assume my new duties.
DWD is an essential part of state government, but particularly during these difficult economic times. Tens of thousands of our fellow Hoosiers and their families count on us to provide the important unemployment benefits to which they are entitled. Additionally, our workforce educational and training programs are absolutely essential to building a prosperous Indiana for the 21st century. What we do matters, both to individuals and to our state as a whole.
As commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration, I had the good fortune to count Commissioner Teresa Voors as one of my colleagues. I know Teresa has guided DWD through a period of unprecedented challenge and change. With your help, it is my hope to build on her record of accomplishment.
Sincerely,
Mark W. Everson
| Commissioner Everson's Previous Positions |
|---|
|
Indiana State Government: Everson joined the administration of Governor Mitch Daniels in January 2009 as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration. |
|
Federal Government: Everson’s posts in the administrations of Presidents George |
|
Private Sector: Everson held financial and operating positions with airline caterer |
|
Not for Profit: Everson was the president and CEO of the American Red Cross. |
|
In the United States Everson has lived and worked in New York, Washington, Chicago, Marion and Dallas, and overseas in Zambia, Turkey and France. He currently resides |
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