THE CNMI Department of Labor held a “Working Through the Pandemic” webinar on Thursday.
Secretary of Labor Vicky Benavente kicked off the virtual session with opening remarks, recalling newly elected Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Joseph Guerrero’s inaugural remarks, calling for everyone to dig deep down within themselves, lift their spirits, roll up their sleeves, and bounce back to pre-disaster levels.
“I wholeheartedly agree with President Guerrero’s statement. Although these are the most challenging and difficult times for many, we have to continue working with our government, we have to continue working with… CNMI businesses, and we have to continue working with our people to use whatever resources we can develop to get our economy back on track,” she said.
In the webinar, the CNMI DOL provided various information, including information on employment services, data requirements, and expanding opportunities for employers.
“We are anticipating a growth of new job industries, such as cybersecurity platforms, data processing, healthcare, and e-commerce,” said Benavente.
She added that the State Workforce Development Board — consisting of executives from the CNMI business sector and chaired by Hyatt Resort Saipan Human Resource Director Josephine Mesta — is prioritizing the training and upgrading of skills for CNMI residents, in cooperation with the CNMI DOL Workforce Investment Agency, or WIA, Division.
CNMI DOL presented on the programs and services available at the WIA Division.
WIA is designed to help job seekers — adults, dislocated workers, and youth — access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market.
It also matches employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.
Moreover, it provides opportunities for reforms to ensure that the system is job-driven, responding to the needs of employers, as well as preparing workers for current and future jobs.
Through an Apprenticeship State Expansion, or ASE, Grant, the CNMI DOL promotes its registered apprenticeship programs, or RAP, as a significant workforce solution in filling current job vacancies, as well as closing the skills gap between employer workforce needs and the skills of the current workforce.
The RAP is a structured education and training program that takes place in the workplace.
It is designed to up-skill workers in demand-driven CNMI occupations, such as construction, maintenance, hospitality, allied health and safety, food service, management, accounting, information technology, or other US Department of Labor-approved RAP occupations.
There are five core components of the RAP: business development, structured on-the-job training, classroom-based related technical instruction, rewards for skill gains, and nationally recognized credentials.
Benefits for the employer through the RAP is a skilled workforce, improved productivity, reduced turnover, retain workers, customizable training, and diversity.
Benefits for workers include hands-on career training, an education, a career, and national credentials.
The CNMI DOL OSHA-On-Site Consultation Division presented elements of an employer Covid-19 assessment and control plan.
Identifying controls is the first step in this plan, with elimination, or removing or preventing entry of the pathogen, being the most effective method, followed by engineering, or isolating workers from the pathogen through equipment such as Plexiglass.
Personal protective equipment is used to prevent pathogen exposure and spread, but is the least effective in identifying controls, tailing not far behind administrative, or work policies and procedures that prevent pathogen exposure, such as providing workers with soap, clean running water, and single-use paper towels for handwashing.
The Division of Employment Services presented on how the global Covid-19 pandemic has affected day-to-day operations, types of services offered, applicable regulations, job vacancy announcements, job openings, and business activity.
There has been no change in work hours or email contacts at the division.
Services offered have slightly changed, with online registration, JVA technical assistance, JVA certifications, limited outreach, limited education of local or federal regulations, and job applicant matching still offered to employers.
The division offers online registration, résumé building, interview strategies and tips, limited outreach, and job referral and placement for job applicants.
Applicable regulations have remained the same, abiding by the NMI Administrative Code as well as the CW-1 Interim Final Rules, inclusive of the Temporary Labor Certification, or TLC, process.
According to the division, the top five occupational groups and job openings are construction and extraction; installation, maintenance, and repair; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance; food preparation and serving-related; and personal care and service.
A retroactive examination of JVA activity indicates that postings were increasing annually beginning in 2016, then exponentially decreased during the pandemic.
Interestingly, the increase in JVA postings occurred even during the Super Typhoon Yutu timeline.
The division concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic is certainly a contributing factor to the decline in JVA postings.
Job openings have significantly declined last year, from 34,246 in 2019 to 20,991 in 2020.
The CNMI DOL reported 38,654 job openings in 2016, 39,486 in 2017, and 41,902 in 2018.
Their year-end report showed that in the 10 months of their data collection, the CNMI DOL received notices from 128 businesses reporting their businesses being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
April of last year yielded the highest period of unemployment or partial unemployment, with 4,447 employees affected.
Latest data shows that in November, 3,261 employees were furloughed, laid off, or working on reduced hours.
Of this 3,261, 1,288 were foreign nationals and 1,973 were U.S. status qualified workers.
The division reported that there is a slight to moderate decline in the number of workers being affected by the pandemic as reported by various businesses.
The latter may be attributed to businesses slowly reopening. However, the division said that more research is needed to validate the accuracy of this finding.
The CNMI DOL also presented on enforcement and compliance, touching briefly on labor cases, compliance agency cases, CAC violations, foreign labor certification, and mining safety and health administration.
Moreover, the CNMI DOL administrative hearing office presented on their operations, managing the intake of complaints and appeals in various cases — including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program cases — in addition to maintaining records of transcripts, administrative orders, and other information crucial to hearings.
Hearings are held telephonically and online. Filing can be submitted online, in-person, or via postal mail.
Common complaints or claims during the Covid-19 pandemic are unpaid wages, employment preference, unlawful reduction in force, and PUA eligibility.
The administrative hearing office also expounded on the process of each type of case, PUA appeals.
Last year, 20 of 44 labor cases, 33 of 43 PUA appeals, 2 of 2 compliance agency cases, and 3 of 3 appeals to the CNMI DOL secretary were resolved.
This year, there are 24 labor cases, 1 appeal to the CNMI DOL secretary, and 8 PUA appeals.
