Career Advice

America’s truck drivers are essential to keeping the goods we all rely on—and our economy—moving. Unfortunately, the industry continues to face long-standing recruitment and retention challenges as the demand for drivers has grown during the pandemic. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration took action and created the Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America’s Trucking Workforce to support drivers and create pathways

Disability is a natural part of the human experience and affects people of all races. We recently analyzed some data that gave us greater insight into Black workers with disabilities. Here are a few of the facts we uncovered: Nearly 2.5 million working age Black adults in the United States have a disability: Chart data: Types of disabilities among Black

Christina Coleman-Lovelace is a community outreach and resource planning specialist at the Wage and Hour Division’s Birmingham, Alabama, District Office. In November 2021, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh met with residents and union workers in Birmingham where he announced a rule increasing the minimum wage for federal contract workersto $15 an hour. We asked Christina to share how her family’s

This February, as we celebrate Black History Month, I am reminded of the many Black leaders who have fought for civil rights, racial justice and equity in the workplace. Over the years, advancing equity in the workplace has taken on many forms, from recognizing cultural backgrounds or ethnicity, gender, cultural and physical barriers to what is now being referred to

America Saves Week is February 21 through 25. This week—and every week!- is a great time to start building financial resilience. What is financial resilience, and how do you accomplish it? In short, financial resilience is the ability to withstand a financial event that impacts your income or assets, big or small. These types of events are often unexpected and

Taking action to support the next generation of the trucking workforce The trucking industry plays a vital role in the U.S. supply chain, and America’s truck drivers have helped keep our economy — and 72% of all goods shipped in the U.S. — moving throughout the pandemic. Unfortunately, the industry continues to face longstanding recruitment and retention challenges, especially among

Leslie Cotton, a union plumber from Oregon. Aurora Bihler waited tables for years. Despite being more experienced than her male co-worker, she later learned that he was paid more doing the same job. That all changed when she joined Ironworkers Local 396 in St. Louis eight years ago. Not only was this a higher paying job, but she also worked

Fannie Lou Hamer singing at the microphones, with a guitarist, during a civil rights demonstration in front of the White House ca. 1964. Photographer Rowland Scherman. Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. Like many Black Americans, I feel pride each February when our nation’s schools and communities place a special emphasis on Black history and leaders. Of course, Black history

This is a pivotal moment for the U.S. economy. After record job losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is slowly recovering:Employment continues to growand unemployment rates are falling, althoughthese improvementsstilllagbehindfor women, especially Black women. Unprecedented levels of public investment from theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Actwill help this upward trend continue by creating good middle-class jobs that many workers

A year ago, the Department of Labor’s Chief Evaluation Officesolicitedproposalsfor researchto help usunderstand howlaborprograms and policies reach historically underserved communities.We wereespecially interested in supporting emerging researchers,and all five of theresearchteamsthat received fundingincluded at least oneundergraduate or graduatestudent. Together, these teams tackleda variety ofimportant questions, helpingusunderstand how data canimproveequityacross the programs, protectionsand policiesweadminister.Today, we are releasing the final papers from these