September 7, 2009

Labor Day: No day off for job seekers

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Today is traditionally thought of as the end of summer--a day for the final barbecue, a time to dig out the football jerseys from the back of the closet, the last chance to hit the beach before the kids hit the books. Almost lost in the flurry of activity is the true meaning of the first Monday in September: A day of rest, conceived in 1882 and made national in 1894, to honor American workers, currently numbering more than 150 million, who are the backbone of the U.S. economy.

This year, however, with 134,000 workers in the Seattle area out of work, today carries an added sting of irony. For the unemployed, it's hard to celebrate a labor-related holiday when there's no compensated work being done to begin with.

But as all job seekers know, looking for work is its own full-time job that has no real day off. So, on this holiday, here's another piece of news that might help Hire Ground readers with their searches: The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) is beginning an expansion of a current program to pay benefits to unemployed workers while they receive training for new jobs.

Starting today, ESD's Training Benefits Program, which was created in 2000 to help retrain displaced workers for new, in-demand jobs, will now cover certain unemployed workers in Washington state who are disabled, qualify as low-income earners, members of the Washington National Guard or recently discharged from the military. Under the expanded program, those who qualify may receive unemployment benefits for up to 52 weeks, rather than the standard 26-week limit, while they attend classes. During the time they are enrolled in these approved courses, participants will not be required to search for a new job, according to ESD.

"Until now, this program wasn't available for many of our workers who need it the most," said ESD Commissioner Karen Lee in a statement. "These are people who have a track record of holding down a job or serving our country, and who need a little help to get back to work in a career that has a future."

The Training Benefits Program will pay only for weekly unemployment benefits, ESD says, and does not cover financial aid for tuition, fees or other expenses related to the training courses. Benefits for newly eligible enrollees will begin on Sunday, Sept. 13.

For more eligibility details and instructions on how to enroll in this program, contact your local WorkSource office (800-318-6022) to receive an informational packet or visit ESD's Training Benefits page.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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1 Comments

Ryan on September 7, 2009 3:10 PM | Reply

Hey Randy,

I was looking around for job listings and your article came up! It's really cool to personally know a writer in Seattle actually writing. Won't take up any more of your time:).

Tell Caitlin we said hi! And keep up the good work.

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