OPRA, the state’s Open Public Records Act is showing its age. Now 22 years old, this important public policy suffers, in part, from age, neglect, unintended consequences, and unexpected use cases. Efforts to repair OPRA must recognize that the law affects all levels of New Jersey government, not just municipal.
Topic
employment
AI-powered work: Efficiency gains and human skills erosion
According to Carl Van Horn, professor of public policy, it’s a give and take. “As with other major technological changes, generative AI will create opportunities for some and heartbreak for others.” This could harm some sectors, as graduates with at least one formal education degree want safeguards to protect them from unemployment.
NJSPL – New Jersey Employment Concerns Revisited
As 2024 began with yet another surprisingly strong jobs report for the U.S., and with a full year’s worth of 2023 state-level employment data now available, it’s worth briefly revisiting some of the trends discussed in our early December post on New Jersey’s employment situation.
West New York police earn high salaries, even more than Jersey City cops
Crime doesn’t pay in West New York, but being a police officer sure does. The working-class north Hudson town of roughly 52,000 spends nearly 20% of his annual budget, or $19.6 million, on its police department, and it doesn’t even have a police chief, according to...
New Heldrich report — Worker Voices: Shifting Perspectives and Expectations on Employment
How did workers in lower-wage roles and job seekers without a Bachelor’s degree experience the labor market during the COVID-19 pandemic? To find answers to this question, the Federal Reserve held virtual focus groups across the United States from May to September 2022.
Heldrich Center’s New Start Career Network featured in The Daily Targum
The Heldrich Center for Workforce Development has provided assistance in finding employment to more than 6,000 state residents by providing job training, networking and guidance in creating a resume. "Older Americans are more likely to find themselves among the...
Rutgers touts success of program for long-term unemployed in NJ
Emerging from the rubble of the Great Recession, the establishment of the New Start Career Network in 2015 provided support to more than 6,000 New Jerseyans experiencing long-term unemployment over its initial six-year period. That's according to Carl Van Horn,...
New Heldrich report: Measuring the Awareness and Opinions of NJ’s Earned Sick Leave Law and Family Leave Insurance Program
The study was designed to provide information about the public’s awareness and utilization of paid leave, and about the public’s awareness of and attitudes toward using ESL and FLI benefits.
New Heldrich report: Advancing New Jersey’s Employment First Practices and Policies
New Jersey is currently one of 39 states with an Employment First policy. In spite of this policy shift, the state’s mainstream labor force participation rate for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities continues to lag behind national trends.
NJ has regained nearly 90% of jobs lost to pandemic, and pay is rising too
February's jobs report was the strongest since last July and showed that New Jersey is making up ground. Through February, New Jersey recovered 89.9% of the jobs it lost in March and April of 2020, while the U.S. recovered 90.4%, according to Rutgers University...