As Labor Day approaches, many workers in Colorado and across the nation are feeling more anxious than festive. But my commitment to Denver’s workers and to ensuring they all have the skills and opportunities they need to work again has only strengthened. And my vision for the Department of Labor remains “good jobs for everyone.”
Looking back, we have seen real growth in our economy. When President Obama took office, the economy was shrinking at a rate of 6.8 percent and losing an average of 800,000 jobs each month. The administration acted immediately to help working families and to prevent a dire situation from worsening.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed in Denver, helped prevent more jobs from being lost and has saved or created more than 2.5 million jobs. In the first seven months of 2010, the private sector has gained 630,000 jobs, while Denver added 3,100 jobs in July alone.
The Recovery Act provided funds to expand job training into emerging sectors like clean energy, health care and information technology. Since March 2009, 8.9 million workers have participated in the Labor Department’s job-training programs, and about 19 million have received career counseling or resume assistance. Over 641,000 workers been placed into new jobs through our Workforce Investment Act Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.
Had the Recovery Act not passed, many more people would be out of work today. We kept a serious recession from becoming another Great Depression.
With the economic freefall halted, we are focused on a recovery. That means creating good jobs — our No. 1 priority. We also believe that everyone — not just a select few — should benefit from the recovery. So, we are investing funds throughout Colorado in ways that will help clear a path out of poverty for the needy, strengthen urban and rural communities, and rebuild a strong middle class.
Many of the new jobs in Denver are in the new energy economy. These “green jobs” are not just a quick fix, they are the jobs of the future. Under the Denver Green Jobs Initiative, my department awarded Recovery Act funds to the Mi Casa Resource Center for Women. Over the next two years, the funds will help provide free green-jobs training to 500 unemployed workers, underemployed workers, veterans, women and minorities.
In Denver, I met Riki Escamilla, one of the workers who received training through the initiative to become an energy-efficiency inspector. She now has dreams of a prosperous future for herself and her family.
In June, I was in Denver to announce more than $1 million in On-The-Job Training National Emergency Grants funds awarded to Colorado. These funds are helping people upgrade their skills while earning a paycheck, and enabling local businesses to hire workers who would be otherwise unemployed.
The Department of Labor also has awarded funds to the Denver County Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program, which helps homeless veterans re-enter the workforce and support their families. In 2009, this program served more than 600 veterans. Our heroes deserve no less.
During my travels to Colorado, I’ve seen the Labor Department and its local community partners investing in Denver’s workers.
Together, we will build a better-prepared American workforce.
Hilda L. Solis is the U.S. secretary of labor.
