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Interim Labor Chief Calls Jobs Top Priority Training will be crucial, she says. Nancy Snyder doesn’t know how long she will hold her job as the state’s interim secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. But whatever the length of her tenure, she plans to advance an agenda that focuses on putting Massachusetts residents back to work. Snyder, 53, of West Roxbury, was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick last week, following the resignation of Suzanne Bump, who plans to run for state auditor in next year’s election. Snyder, taking a leave from her job as president of Commonwealth Corp., said she plans to return to the quasi-public job-training agency as soon as the governor names a permanent successor to Bump. The Patrick administration is reviewing candidates and hopes to make an appointment early next year, administration officials said. In the first extensive interview since her appointment, Snyder said she hopes to tackle a number of issues: increasing job training and education for laid-off workers, expanding job opportunities for youth, and opening a discussion with businesses and labor on how to improve the state’s unemployment insurance system. That system has been strained by the length and depth of the recession. Average unemployment insurance taxes paid by businesses are set to jump as much a 40 percent next year to keep the unemployment insurance trust fund, which pays benefits, solvent. The number of unemployed people in the state has nearly doubled to more than 300,000 since the recession began here in March 2008. The state unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in October, compared to 4.7 percent when the recession began. Recently, however, the Massachusetts labor market has shown signs it might be reaching a turning point. Though the jobless rate remains high, it fell by nearly a half percentage point in October, from 9.3 percent the previous month. Job losses slowed to fewer than 1,000 statewide. The state needs to prepare for a recovery, Snyder said. Labor officials need to work closely with employers to identify industries and regions where hiring might pick up first, so they can quickly match workers to jobs once labor markets begin to rebound. “In the early stages of the recovery, we are probably going to see pockets of labor demand across the state,’’ she said. “We need to know where those pockets of opportunities are.’’ That would allow training programs to prepare workers. For example, Snyder said, the health care industry needs medical assistants, but many institutions say various certificate programs are not producing workers with sufficient skills. So the state needs to work with the industry to upgrade programs so “people are more prepared to go back to work,’’ Snyder said. “The top priority has to be helping people get back to work.’’ Most economists expect companies to hire cautiously and the job market to improve slowly. Snyder said laid-off workers should continue to try to add and improve skills, and not give up on job searches. “Keep at it,’’ she said. “The economy is going to turn around. Do whatever you can do to be ready when it does.’’ ..... As seen in The Boston Globe on 12/10/09 By Robert Gavin, Globe Staff Robert Gavin can be reached at: RGavin@globe.com. 227 Union Street, Suite 206, New Bedford, MA 02740-5946 PH 508.979.1504 • FAX 508.979.5680 E-mail: Webmaster@gnbwib.org |