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Workforce Florida Weekly Update 1-19-07 |
CONTENTS The State & RegionsGovernor Crist Heralds Florida’s Strong Job Market
- Florida leads the nation’s ten most populous states
in job creation. TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist
today hailed Florida’s most recent employment numbers,
highlighting the state’s continued success as a national
leader in job creation. According to statistics released
today by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida added
212,600 (seasonally adjusted) from December 2005 to December
2006. Florida’s unemployment rate is 3.3 percent, and
its job growth rate is more than twice the national average. “Florida
has the most robust job market in the nation and our unemployment
rate is well below the national average,” said Governor
Crist. “But while today’s report is good news,
it clearly illustrates the importance of reaching a solution
to Florida’s property insurance crisis. Florida’s
businesses are creating quality jobs, and their ability to
retain talented workers depends on meaningful and broad-based
rate reductions for homeowners.” According to statistics
released today: Agency for Workforce Innovation releases Florida's
employment/unemployment report for December 2006. Florida’s unemployment rate
in December 2006 was 3.3 percent, unchanged from the previous
month and down 0.1 percentage points from 3.4 percent a year
ago. Job growth in December continued to be positive, as
the state added 212,600 jobs over the year, growing at 2.7
percent, nearly twice the national rate. The national rate
of growth was 1.4 percent for the same period. Florida's
seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2006 of
3.3 percent was 1.2 percentage points lower than the national
rate of 4.5 percent. Job growth by sector was led by Professional
and Business Services (+63,100 jobs), Leisure and Hospitality
(+33,600 jobs) and Education and Health Services (+31,900
jobs). The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach MSA led the state
in employment growth (+56,700 jobs, +2.3 percent), followed
by the Orlando-Kissimmee and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
MSAs with over-the-year job growth in December 2006 of +33,300
jobs and +26,800 jobs, respectively. In December 2006, Walton
County had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.1 percent. Madison
County was the highest at 7.1 percent, reflecting the continuing
effects from a layoff in manufacturing. The next release
will be March 8, 2007 at 10:00 AM. The Annual 2007 Workforce Summit program now available online! The 2007 Workforce Summit will be held at the Hilton Conference Center in Gainesville, Florida on January 29 – 31, 2007. Check out the workshops and sessions now at: http://www.dynamicinstitute.com/summit/downloads/Summit2007_%20Agenda.pdf. The NationSenate Finance Committee Approves Five-Year Extension of WOTC, Would Expand Program Eligibility. The Senate Finance Committee by unanimous vote approved a package of tax credits for small business, including a provision to extend through January 1, 2013 the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The Senate legislation would also expand eligibility to individuals under WOTC by more broadly defining qualifying veterans, first-year wage earners, high-risk youth and those workers referred through the vocational rehabilitation system. The tax provisions are expected to be attached to legislation that would increase the minimum wage and is expected to be considered on the Senate floor next week. The Senate is expected to follow the lead of the House and seek an increase to the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. But unlike in the House, the Senate is working to attach "sweeteners" for business in order to gain necessary votes for the bill to be approved in the narrowly divided chamber. There was hope last week that included in the Senate's tax package would be a provision to repeal the FUTA 0.2 percent surtax as was proposed in the House by Congressmen McKeon (R-CA) and McCrery (R-LA). The provision was not included and it is not clear whether an opportunity will emerge on the Senate floor to add the repeal. Repeal of the FUTA surtax is a policy of NASWA and the National Governors' Association (NGA). Information on the Senate Finance Committee's legislation is available at: http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2007/prg011207leg.pdf. Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and NoticesFor additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.Featured Opportunity:(none) State Grants(none) Federal GrantsCommunity Food Projects Competitive Grants Program SSA Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operator Safety Training Grant
Opportunity Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training HUD SuperNofa Announcement Preview 2007 Foundation Grants2007 HP Technology For Teaching Grants Helping Hands To Neighborhoods Grant Program Scholarships/AwardsJeannette Rankin Foundation Grants for Adult Women Science to Service Awards To Honor Mental Health and Substance Abuse Interventions Intel Corporation School of Distinction Awards Igniting Creative Energy Awards Upcoming Meetings, Conferences and
Events
Workforce Florida Board and Related Meetings Schedule:For up-to-date WFI board meeting info please check the calendar at the WFI website. January 29-31, 2007
February 21, 2007 February 22, 2007 Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:
January 24, 2007 January 24, 2007 January 24-26, 2007 January 31, 2007 February 8-9, 2007 Feb. 26-27, 2007 March 5-7, 2007 March 13, 2007 April 2nd-5th, 2007 May 30, 31 & June 1, 2007 Odds and EndsLowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation Contributes $500,000 Education and Community Service Grant to SkillsUSA. LEESBURG, Va., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation is helping to address the country's growing skilled worker shortage and "skills gap" by contributing $500,000 to SkillsUSA programs. District Manager Paul Ierardi and Store Manager Grayson DeGraff presented the check to Ashley Dixon, SkillsUSA Region I Vice President, Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA and Ohio students from SkillsUSA. Assistant Secretary of Education, Dr. Troy Justesen, was on hand to participate in a roundtable discussion that focused on preparing America's future skilled work force. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 13 percent increase in employment between 2004 and 2012, and 85 percent of America's jobs are now considered "skilled." A 2006 American Society for Training & Development study identified a "skills gap" in areas including: basic skills (e.g., academics, customer service, communications); technical and professional skills; management and leadership skills; and emotional intelligence, including self- discipline and persistence. “Our new partnership with SkillsUSA underscores Lowe's commitment to education," said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation." Through grants to local chapters and support of chapter community service projects, we hope to help further educate and empower young people who will become the contractors, industry leaders and community volunteers of the future." Lowe's will award grants in the amount of $10,000 to SkillsUSA chapters for innovative community service projects and dynamic instructional program enhancements. Additional grant monies and in-kind material donations will support educational and training opportunities including CareerSafe occupational safety instruction and SkillsUSA's National Leadership and Skills Conference. The first grants will be awarded to chapters in the spring of 2007. "The partnership of SkillsUSA and Lowe's will have an important impact on education and economic development," said Tim Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA. "SkillsUSA helps students develop their abilities in all four skills areas highlighted by employers. And, community service as service learning has documented benefits in students' education outcomes and community development. Our students and teachers are champions at work and these grants will allow them to build lots of things together. We thank Lowe's for helping our chapters and instructors to become even more effective." SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA helps high school and college students enrolled in career and technical education programs to excel by teaching employability skills such as communication, problem solving and leadership in conjunction with their trade, technical and service occupations skills. The association's annual membership exceeds 284,000 students and instructors in more than 3,700 schools and colleges in every state, three territories and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit http://www.SkillsUSA.org. 2005 Science & Engineering Doctorate Awards by State (from SSTI Weekly Digest for January 8, 2007). The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the 2005 statistics for science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards. Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2005 details trends in doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients. Using NSF and U.S. Census Bureau data, SSTI has prepared a table providing state ranking for doctorate awards by major field and state rankings for the total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents. The top five states in 2005 for total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland. SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/010807t.htm. NSF’s Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2005 is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf07305/. U.S. Census Bureau population data is available at: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html. Quote for the Week:“All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality” Martin Luther King Jr. |
