The National Governor's Association released a report that outlines "A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities" initiative. The initiative was developed to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunities to: live close to family and friends; live independently and in safe communities; engage in productive employment; and participate in community life. Specifically, this initiative will focus on the employment challenges that affect individuals with intellectual and other significant disabilities and the role that both State government and business can play in facilitating and advancing opportunities for these individuals to be gainfully employed in the competitive labor market.

This report highlights outcomes from San Francisco's Jobs Now program, a subsidized employment program that began under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). It explains the program's design, how the city engaged with employers to secure jobs for participants and outcomes related to job attainment, job retention and wages. The Jobs Now program has continued even after ARRA funds were no longer available (though on a smaller scale) and the city is currently operating its fourth iteration of the program.

The American economy is facing a growing skills gap, with many adults lacking the training or education necessary for jobs that pay a middle-class wage. Helping adults earn the credentials and training they need to get and succeed in family-sustaining jobs is key to fueling the economy and boosting employment. In September, 2012, at the Opportunity Nation Summit in Washington, DC, Jobs for the Future (JFF) announced that five States – Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Carolina – will each receive a $1.6 million grant to help more workers earn valuable credentials needed for today's good jobs through innovative adult education programs.

Opportunity Nation, in partnership with Measure of America, has developed an Opportunity Index that measures a number of indicators at the county and State levels that contribute to economic opportunity and mobility, which together help measure the opportunities that are present in different communities. Central questions that the Index focuses on are: Are there good jobs? Do most young people graduate from high school on time? Are family doctors around? How does a specific neighborhood and region affect employment, education, housing and safety? These dimensions are measured in The Community Index to produce an overall opportunity score and grade for all U.S. States plus Washington, DC. The Index also is used to grade over 2,400 U.S. counties.

The Congressional Research Service released a report discussing a number of bills Congress has passed in recent years intended to jump-start a recovery in the labor market from the recession that began in 2007. The report addresses how the labor market responded to these measures, and critiques how well the legislation has worked towards providing additional jobs. Employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is analyzed in this report from December 2007 to September 2012. An in depth review of the recession and its effects on the labor market are also offered.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy developed a series of free video vignettes as part of its "Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success" curriculum. Youth services programs, educators and others helping young job seekers prepare for employment are encouraged to view, display, share and lead discussions about the videos, which aim to help all youth, including those with disabilities, develop and strengthen six essential skills needed to succeed in today's workforce: communication, networking, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced grants to 30 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Unemployment Insurance program integrity, performance and system improvement projects. The grants will support the integrity of the UI program through the prevention, detection and recovery of improper UI benefit payments by assisting States in addressing the core root causes of UI improper payments, updating information technology system infrastructures, and expanding their use of re-employment and eligibility.

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) recently released "The World at Work: Jobs, Pay and Skill for 3.5 Billion People." This report analyzes the dramatic shifts in the global labor markets that have occurred over the last several decades, causing increasingly stark skill and wage gaps across the world. This report estimates future levels of college educated workers, as well as solutions to future employment barriers that may arise due to education. Labor supply and demand, labor gaps, and a global agenda for skills and jobs are also addressed in this report.

This report provides a synthesis of research and existing ACF resources for serving at-risk youth. It describes what we know from research about at-risk youth. It then describes how at-risk youth are currently being served by ACF programs and by programs outside of ACF that have been shown to put youth on a path toward self-sufficiency. Based on the review of research and resources, it identifies issues to consider in creating conceptual frameworks for developing and enhancing ACF programs that can or do serve at-risk youth. In the remainder of this chapter, we state the key questions that guide the synthesis, define some key concepts, and describe a number of at-risk youth populations served by ACF programs. (author abstract)

Providing vital resources to homeless women veterans is a priority for the Women's Bureau U.S. Department of Labor. "Women in the Military: Resources for Benefits and Trauma-Informed Care" roundtable hosted by the bureau last week brought together 50 representatives from homeless shelters, medical centers, community-based organizations, and State and federal organizations. The bureau's Angela Rizzolo, who organized the roundtable with the Massachusetts Women's Veterans' Network, gave an in-depth presentation on how to use the "Trauma-Informed Care Guide." The bureau will continue to host a series of roundtables to educate service providers on the resources available to help homeless women veterans find a path to good jobs and financial security.