State leaders unveil Alabama Department of Workforce
Alabama leaders say improving Alabama’s workforce has been one of their major goals. On Thursday, another step has been taken to help even more Alabamians get back to work.
Governor Kay Ivey joined state leaders on the Capitol steps to unveil the new Alabama Department of Workforce.
“I’m honored to participate in this historic ceremony to mark the first complete realignment of a major cabinet agency during my eight year administration,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
Ivey says Alabama has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country which sits at 2.9%. However, the state also has one of the lowest worker participation rates at 57.8%.
“Alabama’s greatest resources is our people. We are home to the hardest working and the most dedicated workforce in the nation,” says Ivey.
The Department of Workforce is made up of the former Department of Labor and other agencies – now under one unified department. It will employ about 850 workers around the state.
Former state senator Greg Reed has been tapped to lead the department as the Secretary. He says the goal is to grow the state’s workforce by providing faster and easier access to job training and job seeking services.
“To basically let job seekers as well as employers understand we want to be a central depository of all things essential to helping people work. And being able to get training that they need, being able to engage with opportunities that are going to be important for them to have success in their business and their careers,” says Reed.
State leaders also hope the department will help bridge the gap that Alabamians in rural areas have.
“I know in the rural areas that I live in, people don’t see that. They feel like because the unemployment rates are still a little bit higher in some of those counties, but where the jobs are. People never understood where the jobs were, how do you get those jobs. Now we have come to the state of Alabama with a one-stop shop,” says Senator Bobby Singleton, a democrat who serves as the Senate Minority Leader.
The Department of Workforce will be located in the Gordon Persons state office building behind the Capitol.
