Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told attendees at the Job Quality Framework Launch Aug. 4 that the labor shortage and the demand for workers both remain high.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics report said businesses need to fill nearly 11 million jobs, she said in a Department of Commerce news release.
“Small- and medium-sized employers are the building blocks of our economy, and those that offer high-quality jobs have a clear competitive advantage,” Raimondo said, according to the release.
Small businesses are especially affected by the labor shortage, she said, according to the release. The National Federal of Independent Business said 94% of small businesses find few or no qualified applicants to fill vacant positions. Labor quality was the top problem for nearly 25% of those businesses.
The Commerce Department awarded 32 grants in its Good Jobs Challenge as part of its work to solve the labor problem, she said. The $500 million investment will lead to high-quality jobs through employer-driven training programs, the release reported.
“We will be deploying this toolkit to hundreds of employer partners that will train and hire workers through these programs,” Raimondo said, according to the release.
She said increased worker engagement and satisfaction can translate into more enthusiasm for the job, higher retention, lower absenteeism, improved products and increased revenues, the release reported.
