The U.S. Department of Labor issued its monthly employment report this morning showing a loss of 20,000 jobs in the month of April. Although there is good news to be seen in the report — job losses were lower than expected, while the unemployment rate ticked downward — the continued loss of American jobs should set off warning signals to policymakers that more work remains to stabilize an uncertain economy.

One area that has been sadly neglected by Democrats in Congress is the nation’s job training program under the Workforce Investment Act. Republicans enacted significant reforms to WIA in 1998, creating a more seamless job training system through a network of one-stop centers. However, in the years since, it has become clear that additional reforms are needed to streamline funding, eliminate duplication and waste, and improve access to services for dislocated workers. Today’s employment report should serve as a stark reminder of why now, more than ever, we owe it to our workers and job seekers to enact robust reforms to the program that is meant to serve them in the wake of job loss.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am and is filed under Politics .