Artificial Intelligence

EEOC Launches Initiative to Ensure AI Doesn’t Exacerbate Civil Rights Issues

The new program looks to educate employers and employees about how algorithms are used in hiring and other employment decisions.

Cybersecurity

Scammers Are Using Fake Job Ads to Steal People’s Identities

The U.S. Secret Service confirmed that it has seen a “marked increase” in sham job ads seeking to steal people’s personal data, often with the aim of filing bogus unemployment insurance claims.

Modernization

Audit: Labor Department IT Governance ‘Ambiguous,’ Unorganized 

A report from the Office of the Inspector General showcases several weaknesses in the agency’s IT governance, particularly highlighting the lack of CIO oversight.

Digital Government

Labor Department Awards Verizon $887M to Radically Revamp IT Backbone

No other Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions selections are planned by the department.

Modernization

The Unemployment Insurance System Is Set to Get a Tech Makeover — but It Needs Much More, the Biden Administration Says

The U.S. Digital Service has embarked on a reconstruction that will cover the entire UI system, according to a memo and presentation obtained by ProPublica.

Ideas

How to Make Unemployment Insurance Work for Gig Workers

The share of workers who have traditional full-time jobs is shrinking but the ways to verify identity and income have not kept up.

Ideas

Why Are So Many Americans Leaving Their Jobs Right Now?

A Microsoft survey of more than 30,000 global workers showed that 41% of workers were considering quitting or changing professions this year.

Cybersecurity

States Snag $240M to Combat Unemployment Fraud

The federal grant funding can be used to pay for identity verification services, cybersecurity, or other expenses related to fraud detection.

Cybersecurity

How Unemployment Insurance Fraud Exploded During the Pandemic

Bots filing bogus applications in bulk, teams of fraudsters in foreign countries making phony claims, online forums peddling how-to advice on identity theft: Inside the infrastructure of perhaps the largest fraud wave in history.

Ideas

63% of Workers Who File an EEOC Discrimination Complaint Lose Their Jobs

And about 40% of workers report experiencing employer retaliation.

Digital Government

OSHA Pandemic Safety Rules Only Cover Health Care Workers

OSHA also issued new guidance on COVID-19 measures for all employers, including paid time off for vaccinations, barriers and shields, and employer-provided face coverings.

Modernization

TMF Board Announces New Award One Day After $1B Cash Infusion

The Labor Department snagged $9.6 million to improve its data management infrastructure.

Digital Government

IG: ‘Tens of Billions’ in Fraudulent Unemployment Claims in 2020

A Labor Department Inspector General memo suggests a massive uptick in fraudulent unemployment claims brought on by COVID-19.

Modernization

Lawmakers Call for Federal Program to Upgrade Unemployment Systems

Many people filing for unemployment during the pandemic have experienced long delays. Subpar technology is one of the factors commonly blamed for problems.

Policy

Biden Asks OSHA to Consider COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules

A national order from OSHA would bring all states under the same rules, since even states with independent agencies must meet or exceed the federal standard.

Modernization

Labor Wants Feedback on Checklist for Modernizing State Unemployment Systems

The federal agency seeks input on the mandatory guidance it released to help states prevent service disruptions as they update their technology. 

Digital Government

Labor Awards $11 Million to Help States Leverage Data to Bolster Their Workforce

The department aims to improve the effectiveness of its workforce and the data systems that inform it.

Digital Government

How Some Agencies Are Rethinking Transparency

It’s not just about posting products for the public, it’s about sharing how an agency got there, federal officials said.