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May 26, 2020

DOL awarded $2.3M grant to create disaster-relief jobs, other employment services

Photo | CT Mirror DOL Deputy Commissioner Daryle Dudzinski, left, and Commissioner Kurt Westby.

Connecticut's labor department says it scored a $2.3 million federal grant to create temporary disaster-relief jobs and training services for workers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The state Department of Labor (DOL) on Friday announced it was awarded the Disaster Recovery National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to address an unprecedented surge in unemployed individuals and other increased demand for workers in disaster-relief and humanitarian assistance jobs.

DOL Commissioner Kurt Westby said that private-sector businesses, community-based organizations and municipalities will be able to use the funding to fill and create various temporary disaster-relief jobs that support efforts to limit the impact of the global health crisis and help stimulate Connecticut’s economic recovery.

Disaster-relief jobs are expected to fall into three main job categories, including cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting public facilities. Others range from healthcare support jobs, to delivering medicine, food, or other supplies to quarantined individuals and vulnerable populations.

DOL says it’s partnering with the state’s five regional workforce development boards and their employer partners to implement these programs. The boards include Capital Workforce Partners, Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board, Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, The WorkPlace and Workforce Alliance.

“During these difficult times, this funding from the U.S. Department of Labor will help our state get back to business even more quickly by providing jobs that have been created as a result of the pandemic, as well as the necessary training,” Westby said.

Last week, DOL said Connecticut lost 266,300 jobs in April, which was the first full month of COVID-19-related shutdowns. Meantime, the 288,400 Connecticut jobs lost in March and April exceeds the total unemployment caused by the 2008-2010 Great Recession.

That has pushed Connecticut’s jobless rate to 7.9% based on a U.S. census-based survey, although DOL cautioned last week that flaws in that process mean the effective rate is closer to 17.5%. By comparison, the state reported a 3.7% unemployment rate in March.

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