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Rapid‑response team reports surge in small‑business closures; council purchased Starlink to support field responses
Summary
DWS staff told the council that 2023 has seen more business layoffs/closures than 2022 and that Casper accounted for over a quarter of recorded rapid‑response events. The council purchased a Starlink terminal to ensure hybrid meeting connectivity and to provide internet at large layoff sites for on‑site DWS assistance.
Trevor, who presented the DWS rapid‑response overview, said the agency responds whether a layoff affects one worker or hundreds and the overall goal is to get affected workers reemployed as quickly as possible. He reported an increase in the number of business rapid‑response events in 2023 versus 2022 and noted that "Casper has been particularly hard hit" this year, accounting for more than a quarter of events the agency captured.
Trevor described the types of support provided — information about workforce centers and programs, how to apply for unemployment insurance, options for maintaining health insurance, and connections to reemployment training — and encouraged council members to notify DWS if they learn of a business on the brink of closure so staff can offer short‑time compensation and other interventions.
The council recently purchased a Starlink satellite terminal to stabilize hybrid meeting connectivity; Trevor said DWS could also deploy that terminal to expand internet capacity at a large layoff site so staff can provide on‑site services in locations lacking reliable broadband.
Casper center managers Shannon Gage and Amy Peterson briefed the council on local rapid responses, hiring fairs (including a high‑attendance Casper College hiring event), employer outreach and a strategic emphasis on on‑the‑job training and apprenticeship partnerships to place workers quickly.
No formal decisions were taken beyond direction to keep tracking rapid‑response events and to coordinate outreach as closures are reported.
