Labor

Labor Department debuts website for migrant workers in 6 new languages

“Our mandate includes protecting the rights of all workers,” a department official told reporters this week.

White House, Labor look to protect workers from AI-fueled harms

The Labor Department put out new guidance to encourage employers and AI developers to consider worker empowerment amid AI technology deployment.

Lawmakers propose a new federal office to regulate workplace surveillance tech

The new bill from Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., would also establish new employee rights and employer transparency rules around surveillance.

Labor Department experiments with AI in unemployment systems

The agency plans to use the current “calm” in unemployment claims to better prepare for the next storm.

Senators look to harden the unemployment system for the next crisis

The White House-backed framework for forthcoming unemployment insurance legislation will retool the way states go after fraud and allows for for oversight of federal investments in UI systems and technology.

Labor Department calls on states to reevaluate unemployment benefit accessibility

Access to unemployment has been declining and differs drastically across demographic groups. The Labor Department is urging states and territories to do something about it in new guidance.

Labor Department to use TMF to build a retirement ‘lost and found’

The registry will enable people to search for private employment retirement, group health and other welfare benefit plans that still owe them benefits.

The money's out the door in nationwide unemployment insurance modernization push

A Labor Department official said efforts to help states modernize their UI systems are trending in the right direction, but funding may be insufficient.

Hawaii’s wildfires led to fast tracking federal identity tools for unemployment claims 

Hawaii is the second state after Arkansas to employ Login.gov and U.S. Postal Service identity proofing options in its unemployment insurance system. 

States need federal standards for tech used in unemployment programs, GAO says 

One of the senators that requested the new report from the Government Accountability Office — Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore. — is tinkering with potential legislation on unemployment modernization. 

Labor Dept. Watchdog Urges 'Extreme Caution' on Facial Recognition

Since the start of the pandemic and an upswing in fraudulent claims in the jobless aid systems, the use of facial recognition in identity checks has spread across states, raising OIG concerns about access and privacy.

NLRB Looks to Modernize Its Legal Case Management System

The agency will use responses to a request for information to help form its acquisition strategy.

Labor Constructing a Virtual Data Enclave For Sensitive Microdata

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is aiming to use a new system to securely share workplace fatality and geographical data with researchers. 

Senators Call for Removal of Facial Recognition Tech in Unemployment Services

The lawmakers asked the Department of Labor to help state unemployment agencies remove facial recognition technology from application forms.