The 2008 Newsletter of the International Association of Labour Inspection

: The IALI newsletter reflects on the organization’s activities in 2008, which included involvement in a number of conferences and reports addressing workplace monitoring, forced labor and human trafficking, workplace stress, migrant workers, and health and safety issues. The newsletter gives a summary plan for the organizations 2009 goals

Unlocking the Treasure Chest of Labor Market Information: Crucial Information for Job Seekers, Educators, and Employers in a Tough Economy

Quality labor market data and analysis is critical to developing effective market-driven workforce and economic strategies in states, regions, and localities. Such information can be complex, intimidating, and overwhelming to many users, however. This issue brief offers a framework for understanding workforce information, including a summary of the different types of consumers of information and their need for comprehensive data and analysis about the labor market. It identifies the publicly available information sources that produce the data and provides suggestions on how to identify and address the gaps between user needs and the availability of reliable and timely data and analytical capacity to enable effective and informed decision-making by data consumers. Finally, it recommends ways in which states and local areas can make workforce information more readily available to consumers who must make important decisions

Shifting Gears: State Innovation to Advance Workers and the Economy in the Midwest

Outlines five states' policy actions to expand access to postsecondary credentials and careers and innovations implemented through Joyce's initiative, including combining basic skills content with workforce readiness, support services, and specialization

Aligning Community Colleges to Their Local Labor Markets

Examines ways to better align community college curricula with employer needs, including analyzing online job ads to gather data on occupation and skill demands; examples of use of labor market information; and the potential and limitations of such data

Labor Takes the High Road: How Unions Make Western New York More Prosperous and Equitable

The report explores how unions make a major impact on the region not just through collective bargaining, but also through community service and policy advocacy. Analyzing Census data, the authors find that union members in Western New York enjoy substantially higher wages, more full-time work, more health insurance coverage, and more pension benefits than non-members. Union impacts radiate out far beyond their members. Research reveals that unions improve wages, job quality, health, and safety, for other workers as well. Unions support community efforts with volunteer hours and donations, and they play a critical role in workforce development and training. Finally, organized labor advocates for high road public policies regarding issues such as civil rights, public health, and responsible economic development