In The News

Hawaii ranks near bottom of report on COVID-19 policy effects

From: The Center Square 

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims

By Delaware Department of Labor

In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 200,000, an increase of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 180,000 to 181,000. The 4-week moving average was 188,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 179,750 to 180,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.0 percent for the week ending April 23, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 23 was 1,384,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since January 17, 1970 when it was 1,371,000. The previous week’s level was revised down by 5,000 from 1,408,000 to 1,403,000.

The 4-week moving average was 1,417,000, a decrease of 36,250 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since February 21, 1970 when it was 1,409,750. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,750 from 1,455,000 to 1,453,250. 2 UNADJUSTED DATA The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 196,962 in the week ending April 30, a decrease of 7,164 (or -3.5 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 25,765 (or -12.6 percent) from the previous week. There were 510,161 initial claims in the comparable week in 2021.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.0 percent during the week ending April 23, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,403,685, a decrease of 38,872 (or -2.7 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 19,646 (or -1.4 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 2.7 percent and the volume was 3,763,243.

The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending April 16 was 1,478,348, a decrease of 35,165 from the previous week. There were 16,151,803 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2021.

No states were triggered “on” to the Extended Benefits program during the week ending April 16.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 489 in the week ending April 23, a decrease of 14 from the prior week. There were 391 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 23 from the preceding week.

There were 7,333 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending April 16, a decrease of 798 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 4,306, a decrease of 22 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 16 were in California (2.1), New Jersey (2.1), Alaska (1.9), Minnesota (1.6), New York (1.6), Illinois (1.5), Puerto Rico (1.5), Connecticut (1.4), Massachusetts (1.4), Michigan (1.4), and Rhode Island (1.4).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 23 were in New York (+4,760), Massachusetts (+3,491), Connecticut (+1,045), Georgia (+932), and New Jersey (+888), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,860), Ohio (-2,609), Michigan (-1,887), Washington (-475), and Minnesota (-453).

ABC predicts construction workforce shortage of 650,000 this year

By LBM Journal

The construction industry will need to attract nearly 650,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2022 to meet the demand for labor, according to a model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors.

“ABC’s 2022 workforce shortage analysis sends a message loud and clear: The construction industry desperately needs qualified, skilled craft professionals to build America,” said Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO. “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November and stimulus from COVID-19 relief will pump billions in new spending into our nation’s most critical infrastructure, and qualified craft professionals are essential to efficiently modernize roads, bridges, energy production and other projects across the country. More regulations and less worker freedom make it harder to fill these jobs.”

ABC’s proprietary model uses the historical relationship between inflation-adjusted construction spending growth, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Value of Construction Put in Place survey, and payroll construction employment, sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to convert anticipated increases in construction outlays into demand for construction labor at a rate of approximately 3,900 new jobs per billion dollars of additional construction spending. This increased demand is added to the current level of above-average job openings. Projected industry retirements, shifts to other industries and other forms of anticipated separation are also factored into the model.

Based on historical Census Bureau Job-to-Job Flow data, an estimated 1.2 million construction workers will leave their jobs to work in other industries in 2022. It is expected that this will be offset by an anticipated 1.3 million workers who will leave other industries to work in construction.

“The workforce shortage is the most acute challenge facing the construction industry despite sluggish spending growth,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “After accounting for inflation, construction spending has likely fallen over the past 12 months. As outlays from the infrastructure bill increase, construction spending will expand, exacerbating the chasm between supply and demand for labor.

“An added concern is the decline in the number of construction workers ages 25-54, which fell 8% over the past decade. Meanwhile, the share of older workers exiting the workforce soared,” said Basu. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the industry’s average age of retirement is 61, and more than 1 in 5 construction workers are currently older than 55.

“The scarcity of qualified skilled workers is an even more pressing issue,” said Basu. “Since 2011, the number of entry-level construction laborers has increased 72.8%, while the number of total construction workers is up just 24.7%. For reference, the number of electricians was up 23.9% over that span while the number of carpenters actually declined 7.5%. The number of construction managers has increased by just 2.1%. More than 40% of construction workforce growth over the past decade is comprised of low-skilled construction laborers, who represent just 19% of the workforce.

“The roughly 650,000 workers needed must quickly acquire specialized skills,” said Basu. “With many industries outside of construction also competing for increasingly scarce labor, the industry must take drastic steps to ensure future workforce demands are met.”

In 2023, the industry will need to bring in nearly 590,000 new workers on top of normal hiring to meet industry demand, and that’s presuming that construction spending growth slows next year.

“Now is the time to consider a career in construction,” said Bellaman. “The vocation offers competitive wages and many opportunities to both begin and advance in an industry that builds the places where we work, play, worship, learn and heal. ABC member contractors use flexible, competency-based and market-driven education methodologies to build a construction workforce that is safe, skilled and productive. This all-of-the-above approach to workforce development has produced a network of ABC chapters and affiliates across the country that offer more than 800 apprenticeship, craft, safety and management education programs—including more than 300 registered apprenticeship programs across 20 different occupations—to build the people who build America.”

Click here to view ABC’s methodology in creating the workforce shortage model.

Seattle ranked 13th on list of cities for unemployment rate bounce back

By The Center Square

Four Washington state cities made WalletHub’s list of nearly 200 municipalities ranked in terms of unemployment rate bounce back in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and Vancouver.

In its report, the personal finance website examined 180 cities by comparing each city’s unemployment rate during the latest month for which data is available, March, to unemployment rates for March 2019, March 2020, March 2021, and January 2020. WalletHub also considered each city’s overall unemployment rate.

“Of the four Washington cities included in the report, Seattle is the best ranked, at number 13,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez explained in an email to The Center Square. “The city is among those where unemployment rates are bouncing back the most because it has the biggest drop (over 60%) in the number of unemployed people in March 2022 compared to March 2020, which is when the pandemic started. The overall unemployment rate in Seattle is 2.1%, the sixth lowest nationwide and significantly smaller than the average of 3.6%.”

The other Washington cities on the list didn’t fare as well, Gonzalez pointed out.

“The other three Washington cities, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver rank in the bottom 25 cities with the slowest recovery,” she said.

Tacoma was the lowest ranked Washington city on the list, coming in at No. 172. Vancouver was ranked No. 163, and Spokane was ranked No. 159.

There were various reasons for the three cities’ lower placement on the list, Gonzalez noted.

“Spokane and Tacoma registered very small drops in the number of unemployed people compared to March 2020 – less than 10%, while Vancouver actually had almost 5% more unemployed people in March 2022 compared to March 2020,” she said. “When compared to the same time last year, the number of unemployed people in the three cities is lower by only about 20%, one of the smallest percentages in the country. Plus, the overall unemployment rate in these three cities is above 5%, higher than the average of 3.6%.”

Arizona cities accounted for eight of the top 10 cities on the list. Cities in Vermont made up the other two.

The top 10 cities in terms of unemployment rates bouncing back:

1. Scottsdale, Arizona

2. Tempe, Arizona

3. Gilbert, Arizona

4. Burlington, Vermont

5. Chandler, Arizona

6. Mesa, Arizona

7. Glendale, Arizona

8. South Burlington, Vermont

9. Peoria, Arizona

10. Phoenix, Arizona

The bottom 10 cities in terms of unemployment rates bouncing back:

180. Detroit, Michigan

179. Cleveland, Ohio

178. Dover, Delaware

177. New York, New York

176. New Orleans, Louisiana

175. North Las Vegas, Nevada

174. Fayetteville, North Carolina

173. Bridgeport, Connecticut

172. Tacoma, Washington

171. Wilmington, Delaware

Delaware’s 204.07% Personal Income Tax rate harms small business owners

By Caesar Rodney Institute

Sen. Darius Brown’s committee positions reinstated

Delaware Live

State Sen. Darius Brown has been reinstated as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and member of the Senate Capital Improvement Committee.

Brown, D-Wilmington, was removed from the Judiciary Committee in May 2021 after being arrested on misdemeanor offensive touching and disorderly conduct charges.

He was removed from the Capital Improvement Committee in Nov. 2021 after a heated altercation with Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown, D-New Castle, who accused him of verbally abusing her.

He was found not guilty on all charges in Jan. 2022.

“As Pro Tempore, I removed him from these committees in the face of the allegations he faced last year, and I have now reinstated him given his acquittal in court and my belief that the terms of these sanctions have been appropriate,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola, D-Newark.

“I want to thank Sen. Kyle Evans Gay and Sen. Marie Pinkney for their time and dedication in filling these roles over the last year. Their service has been exemplary,” Sokola said.

Following the Nov. 2021 verbal altercation with Minor-Brown, Sokola said, “Verbal abuse is abuse, full stop, and it cannot go unpunished. In the Senate, there will be consequences for behavior unbecoming an elected official.”

A Better Delaware Announces a New Advisory Board Member

From: A Better Delaware 

WILMINGTON, Del. – Dr. Greg DeMeo, D.O. has joined as an advisory board member at A Better Delaware, a non-partisan public policy and political advocacy organization that supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency and accountability in state government.

Chris Kenny, Chairman and Founder of A Better Delaware, announced the addition of DeMeo to the board this past week.

“With an aging population, influx of retirees, and substantial percentage of state taxpayers’ dollars going to health care, ABD must be at the leading edge of advocating for meaningful positive change.” Kenny said. “Dr. Greg DeMeo leads one of Delaware’s top specialist practices and has been serving our state in the health care field since 1992.

Dr. DeMeo is the medical director of Christiana Care’s Labor and Delivery Department and is certified in the Da Vinci robotic surgical system and specializes in minimally invasive surgical techniques. Throughout the past ten years, DeMeo has held numerous leadership positions for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He currently represents that organization at the national level where he focuses on issues related to Medicare reimbursement.

“A Better Delaware is a leading voice for free and fair competition in health care,” DeMeo said. “State policies that restrict the availability of quality health care options for those who need them all too often result is worse outcomes.”

“In joining A Better Delaware, I’m going to continue my fight for principled, sensible reforms that would offer Delawareans better health care, reduce costs and increase access,” DeMeo concluded. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the board and help turn my decades of industry experience into actionable policy for Delawareans.”

DeMeo will serve alongside advisory board members Sam Waltz, former Governor Mike Castle, and William Erhart.

Kathleen Rutherford, executive director for A Better Delaware, hailed DeMeo as “one of Delaware’s most respected authorities in the field of health care.”

“Dr. DeMeo will bring a unique perspective in the area of health care,” Rutherford said. “Our state needs real, pragmatic solutions that give Delawareans more of a say in their health. For too long, our leaders have enacted policies that strip away choice, diminish outcomes and drag our state further toward the bottom of the list. This addition to our advisory board will help us turn this ship around.”

The Costs of Occupational Licensing in Tennessee & Avenues for Reform

From: Beacon Center of Tennessee

Del. Lawmaker claims Republican Bills are read less often than Democratic Bills

From: WMDT

Rep. Bryan Shupe claims republican bills are being overlooked in Delaware’s legislature.

Delaware’s legislature has a rule that all bills must be heard within 12 days of being introduced, in order to progress into committee. Shupe tells us that’s not happening and the number of bills left unread is not evenly split between both parties. He says he had his staff look at the House Administrative Committee hearings from the previous session, where they found, the republican minority had bills read 36 percent of the time compared to 86% for Democrats; which he points to as a bias from leadership.

“Rules that all 41 of us unanimously agreed on, to have every single bill heard in respective their committees are not being followed and its following political lines,” Rep. Shupe said.

In response, Shupe says next session he’ll introduce a measure on the first day of the session as an amendment to the rules that would require all bills to be introduced if they aren’t read in the 12-day window. He tells us he understands why in the past not all bills were read, as a result of a scheduling conflict, bills being combined with others, but he says the gap needs to close between the read rate of republican and democrat bills.

“Those percentages through minority and majority bill should be a lot closer than 86 to 38 percent they should be closer,” Shupe said adding “let them get heard and go through the process and if they die in committee that’s the nature of these things but to not have them heard is frustrating.”

The Delaware House Majority declined to comment on the numbers referenced by Shupe, or his claim of bias.

Delaware’s legislature does have a process to have an unread bill be reintroduced, but such a move would require a “written request of the majority of the members elected to the House, be reported to the House for a decision as to its further disposal,” according to House Resolution 3 passed in 2021, which could prove challenging for a bill introduced by a minority party.  

Washington state ranked No. 14 for economic development transparency

From: The Center Square

Washington state ranked 14th in the country among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of economic development transparency, according to a new report from Washington, D.C.-based Good Jobs First, a public policy resource center.

Washington received credit for the transparency of its programs exempting data centers from paying sales and use taxes on electricity, computers, building materials, and software. On a scale of 0 to 100, Washington scored 38 points for its data center sales and use tax exemption. Washington scored 38 points on its aerospace preproduction expenditures B&O tax, and 47 points for its Job Skills Program.

The Evergreen state was dinged for having no recipient data online regarding refundable or transferable tax credits to film and/or television productions, scoring zero points in that category.

“The Washington Department of Revenue posts basic recipient-level data (company names, subsidy payments, and job/wage data) on dozens of tax-based subsidies,” the report said. “On the good side, the data is (mostly) easy to access and use.”

Washington ranked 30.8 overall on a 100-point scoring system, which is higher than the national average of 22. That’s a drop of three points for Washington since a similar Good Jobs First study in 2014.

Based on evaluating 250 major state-level economic development programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Good Jobs First found that 154 of them disclose which companies receive public support, while 96 do not. Good Jobs First found that 48 states and the District of Columbia provide some degree of recipient disclosure.

“To be sure, transparency is not the same as effectiveness or accountability,” the report notes. “Nor do we have the means here to verify the accuracy of what states post online. But without company specific, deal-specific disclosure, it’s difficult for the public to get at even the most basic return on investment, accountability or equity questions.”

The report goes on to ask, “Which companies are recipients? What kinds of companies are they? How much money did they receive? Are they delivering on the number of jobs promised? Constituents deserve to have answers to these questions. Without them, they cannot have an informed debate and policymakers cannot properly monitor programs or deals.”

Nevada was the top-ranked state on the list. Its 63.6-point score was a dozen points better than runner-up Connecticut (51.6 points). Illinois’ 46.4 points earned it third place on the list.

Alabama and Georgia brought up the rear in scoring zero points each.