The MA labor force participation rate, 66.3 percent, is down 0.1 percentage points from the prior year. The labor force dropped by 11,900 from January. Click here to read the state press release with more detail by industry. Local unemployment estimates were released on 3/30 and the local press release can be found here.

Click here for a state by state analysis of unemployment by race and ethnicity by the Economic Policy Institute.

Last week DUA released the most recent initial claims for the week ending 3/20/2021 including the number of PUA and PEUC claims filed to date. Click here for the state press release which includes charts of initial and continued claims by demographic characteristics and industry.

On March 12th the President signed the American Rescue Plan into law. This legislation provides approximately $1.9 trillion in spending to address the continued impact of COVID-19 and is a follow up to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), which became law in late March 2020, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 devoted to COVID-19 relief, which was adopted in late December 2020.

Click here to read a summary of the legislation and here for an excel chart with state and local aid amounts. MWA extends a sincere thank you to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation for their support in the passage of this historic piece of legislation. Click here to read MWA's letter to the MA delegation.

While there was no direct workforce funding included in this legislation, Congress is turning its attention on to an infrastructure bill, with the promise of workforce funding to be part of this package. MWA continues to work with state and national colleagues on increased workforce funding and recently supported two letters calling for additional investments into the workforce system.

Click here for a copy of the Dear Colleague letter that was recently circulated in the U.S. House and here for a copy of the Campaign to Invest in America's Workforce letter. Questions? Reach out to Tonja or Raija anytime.

ICYMI - Katie Spiker with the National Skills Coalition recently authored a great piece titled Is it too late for Washington to Invest in our Workforce Recovery? Not yet, but the clock is ticking. Click here to read the piece in full.

Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, are requesting input from stakeholders on policy ideas on workforce development. The Senators announced they intend to work together to develop bipartisan solutions to update and expand workforce training programs, support and expand the National Apprenticeship Act, and encourage innovation.

Click here to learn more, including where to send any feedback. MWA will be working with other state workforce associations on collective feedback. If you have ideas or comments to share, please reach out to Tonja by April 5th.

MWA held a Workforce Conversation with Senator Jason Lewis on February 25th. Currently, Senator Lewis is Chair of the Education Committee and was previously Chair of Labor and Workforce Development Committee. He is also a longtime supporter of workforce development and training. Sen. Lewis is vice-chair on a new Senate committee this year focusing on Reimagining Massachusetts Post-Pandemic Resiliency. The Senator shared his belief that workforce development would be central to the committee's agenda. In addition, as Chair on the Joint Committee on Education, Sen. Lewis is a lead sponsor of the Common Start Coalition's early education and child care legislation. We're grateful for Sen. Lewis' strong support and partnership on these important issues.

Last week a broad coalition of business, workforce development, community-based organizations, training, philanthropy and research groups released Rapid Reemployment for a Just and Equitable Recovery. The report aims to elevate the importance of workforce development and training in state and federal economic recovery public policy discussions. Click here to read the report and here for the web version with interactive graphics.

In addition, on March 22nd, the Chairs of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, the Workforce Solutions Group, MWA, Boston Indicators, and JVS-Boston, hosted a virtual policy briefing, releasing the 5 recommendations from the report, Rapid Reemployment to Ensure a Just and Equitable Recovery in Massachusetts. There were over 125 people in attendance including dozens of Legislators and staff. Click here for coverage by WBUR.

MWA in partnership with the Workforce Solutions Group, JVS-Boston, SkillWorks and Boston Indicators, will be hosting another virtual Workforce Briefing, featuring Secretary Acosta, on April 12th at 11:00 a.m. Click here to register!

The California Workforce Association is inviting workforce professionals from around the country to join its annual spring conference this year virtually. Click here to learn more and to register. Click here if you would like to submit a presentation. Presentation proposals are due April 2nd.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the City of Worcester's MassHire Central Region Workforce Board for a $199,998 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant (EWDJT). This is one of 18 grant recipients selected to share $3.3 million to operate environmental job training programs for local citizens across the country. This grant will be used by City of Worcester to train up to 54 people in important skills needed to work in the environmental remediation field and to assist local economic development. The City is targeting newly naturalized citizens, low-income residents, and veterans in the five urban-core Opportunity Zone census tracts in Worcester. This grant program advances environmental justice by providing an opportunity for residents historically impacted by brownfield sites to gain training and employment as a result of cleanup activities taking place in their communities. Click here for the press release to learn more.