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State Labor Secretary Outlines Workforce Strategy, Apprenticeships and UI Modernization
Summary
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones briefed the committee on the administration’s workforce agenda, FY2026 budget recommendation, apprenticeship growth and an unemployment insurance modernization project, and said state officials are working on long‑term solvency of the UI trust fund.
Secretary Lauren Jones of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) provided an overview of the administration’s workforce agenda and FY2026 budget priorities at the April 16 hearing, laying out program details and recent performance metrics.
Jones said the administration’s FY2026 H.1 budget recommendation includes $112,900,000 for EOLWD programs and highlighted investments across eight departments that carry out career services, labor standards, apprenticeship oversight and workers’ compensation. She described cross‑secretariat collaborations on workforce issues, including the Workforce Skills Cabinet chaired by the secretary.
On training programs, Jones noted that the Workforce Training Fund leveraged roughly $37.2 million in grant awards during fiscal year 2024 and supported training for about 27,900 workers that year; the fund typically maintains an annual budget near $20 million. The department also ran a five‑month Workforce Skills Fund pilot using ARPA dollars that provided $3,000–$5,000 stipends and supported just over 1,100 unemployed or underemployed participants in training, Jones said.
EOLWD reported apprenticeship growth: the Division of Apprentice Standards registered more than 4,000 new apprentices and pre‑apprentices and approved more than 100 new programs, including expansion into fields such as early education, health care, life sciences and technology.
Jones described the Employment Modernization and Transformation (EMT) project — a replacement for the current online unemployment insurance (UI) claimant system — saying the new UI interface will be mobile friendly, accessible, multilingual and use plain language. The department is finishing phase two and preparing for rollout.
On the UI trust fund, Jones said the administration inherited a multibillion‑dollar UI liability and is engaged in outreach to find long‑term solvency solutions that do not unnecessarily burden employers or workers. She said the department will continue to work with the legislature and stakeholders on options.
The secretary also urged the committee to consider how appropriation language should accommodate the incremental costs of collective bargaining and fringe benefits for public employees. Committee members expressed appreciation and asked for follow‑up briefings; Jones offered to provide additional materials and staff briefings.
