Labor

Supreme Court hearing turns to the contractor mandate

Chief Justice John Roberts invoked the federal contractor mandate – currently blocked from taking effect due to a lawsuit – at a hearing at which two separate vaccine authority cases were argued on Friday.

Tech woes and fraud top the list of unemployment system issues

A new report from a special Pandemic Response Accountability Committee delves into the issues surrounding UI during COVID-19.

New rule puts $15 minimum wage for federal contractors in place next year

Employees working on federal contracts will have a $15 minimum wage starting on Jan. 30, 2022, per a new rule issued by the Labor Department on Monday.

The struggle to modernize state UI systems

The Labor Department and the U.S. Digital Service are taking a central role in efforts to develop modernized, modular UI technology for states.

Funding challenges hamper cyber EO compliance, CIOs say

A group of agency CIOs shared their biggest obstacles in meeting a series of aggressive deadlines and modernization goals of the Biden administration's sweeping cybersecurity executive order.

Labor Department rolls back Trump-era religious exemption for contractors

DOL announced it would undo a rule that was criticized by civil rights activists as easing the ability of some federal contractors to discriminate when making hiring decisions.

White House extends vaccine deadline for contractors

Federal contractors have until Jan. 4, 2022 to comply with White House vaccination requirements.

New Labor Dept. office will focus on UI modernization

The office will implement a strategic modernization plan for unemployment insurance set to range from developing modular tech capabilities to identity verification.

TMF, cyber EO drive modernization at Labor, CIO says

The unprecedented investment in IT and cybersecurity resources have provided agencies like the Department of Labor with a historic opportunity to tackle some of their loftiest modernization plans.

Digital ID left out of infrastructure bill

A plan to get federal support and funding behind digital identity proofing as a way to combat benefits fraud wound up on the cutting-room floor as the Senate crafted its $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

Labor Department moves toward zero trust

Labor Department CISO Paul Blahusch detailed how his agency ramped up its implementation efforts around zero trust in recent months, from establishing an entirely new team to proposing a project for the Technology Modernization Fund.

Labor Department seeks funding for staffing surges

During testimony on the hill this week, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh also gave lawmakers insight into the department’s work to combat unemployment insurance fraud.

Labor watchdog calls out gaps in unemployment fraud reporting

The department says it will update current requirements so that data flagged as potentially fraudulent will be shared with the agency's Office of the Inspector General.

Legacy tech hindered delivery of unemployment benefits during the pandemic, IG finds

States with modernized systems were able to stand up new programs faster than states that relied on legacy technology, according to a new report from the Labor Department's internal watchdog.

Funding is only part of the answer for UI modernization

State workforce agencies have funding for unemployment modernization and administration thanks to pandemic relief legislation but there are policy impediments, experts said.

$2.1 billion in UI modernization comes with oversight

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told a panel of House Appropriators that the agency's planned $2.1 billion investment in state unemployment systems needs oversight and monitoring, and metrics for measuring success.