News

“They share any information that’s available concerning our business or things that might affect our business. And I think they also are very effective in helping you understand why you need to look at things differently if you’re not looking at them the right way.
- Tanya Henry, Executive Director, Milwaukee Careers Cooperative”

We are constantly on the alert for all the latest industry news, legislative updates, trends and more that could possibly impact your staffing business. Our president and CEO, Julie Ann Bittner, also shares her insights on the staffing industry in her message (link below). And when we don’t see information about a topic we feel is critical for you to know, we create it ourselves to share in our monthly email.

Press Room

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 — COVID-19 Emergency Relief Bill Key Highlights

The third major pandemic relief bill was signed into law on March 11, 2021. This new legislation aims to help individuals, businesses and organizations. This is a $1.9 trillion package, which brings the overall combined three relief packages to over $5 trillion. The bill includes some anticipated measures such as direct payments to individuals, but it also included some unexpected measures, such as changes to the Affordable Care Act, which may particularly impact business owners.

We’ve chosen to focus on changes that specifically impact business owners and their employees. These changes include:

Unemployment Fraud Claims on the Rise – What does it mean to Employers and Employees?

If the pandemic wasn’t enough for employers and U.S. citizens, adding fuel to the fire is the sharp rise in unemployment fraud. States are losing billions of dollars, and thousands of identities are being stolen across the country (including mine, which I share more details about). The U.S. Department of Labor estimates states paid as much as $36 billion in improper benefits.

Baker Donelson reported on November 17, 2020 that, “In Washington, officials announced a theft of $550 million to $650 million from the state's unemployment system, of which about $300 million was recovered. Cybercriminals in Colorado were so aggressive that 75 percent of applications during a single month were ruled fraudulent,” all through unique fraud schemes. In Illinois, they saw over 212,000 fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits in 2020, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). In California, they’ve paid $11.4 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims.

New COVID-19 Relief Efforts

On December 21, 2020, Congress passed a year-end bill to fund the government through September 30, 2021 and provide economic relief in response to the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump signed the bill into law on Sunday, December 27. The package includes $900 billion for COVID-19 relief. In addition to direct payments to a segment of the U.S. population, there are a host of benefits for business owners, as well.