[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We are honored to be joined by the Honorable Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Commissioner, great to have you with us.

- Steve, thank you for having me.

- A whole bunch of things I wanna talk to you about, but the first one is let's talk apprenticeships.

The New Jersey Apprenticeship Network, what is it and why is it so important?

- Yeah Steve, we have been big believers of apprenticeship throughout the Murphy administration.

It's one of the reasons why I am commissioner.

Me and the governor talked about apprenticeship during my interview.

His background as German ambassador where they have a really a robust apprenticeship network in Germany.

We've put in $50 million to fund apprenticeship programs in New Jersey in our time in the Murphy administration.

And since 2018, we've nearly doubled the number of apprenticeship programs in New Jersey.

Right now we have about 1200 programs serving almost 10,000 apprentices.

And we couldn't be more proud that we're investing in the gold standard of workforce training because it's not just about training, it's about the apprentice has a job on day one.

So the earn and learn model you have, giving workers credentials and a career path.

- Commissioner, what fields are we talking about for these apprenticeships?

- Literally Steve, every single field.

Of course apprenticeship is most widely known for the Gold Standard Apprenticeship which is the union building trades model.

All kinds of skilled trades.

But in New Jersey we have apprenticeships in nursing and home care and in information technology.

We have an apprenticeship program at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab.

We have grounds keepers and greens keepers apprenticeship programs.

Basically any field where you have an employer who's willing to make an investment, not only in their own business, but in their own workforce as well can have a successful apprenticeship program.

- What is, and we're putting up the website for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Commissioner, what is the PACE, P-A-C-E program?

- PACE is one of our premier apprenticeship funding programs.

It stands for Pre-Apprenticeship and Career Education.

And it's important cause it removes common barriers by linking participants to career preparedness training, but also providing funding for supportive services, transportation, childcare in certain instances.

So often we hear it, I'm sure you do too Steve from employers, about workers that just have some barriers to taking a job, whether it be finding a way to get to work or I guess mentioned childcare or even some of the food assistance.

So this program provides funding for the training as well as to help workers overcome any barriers to take part in that training or that job.

- Commissioner, I'm curious about this.

We've talked to so many people.

We're taping this at the end of June, 2023.

We've talked to a lot of different folks about this, but your perspective on it is really important.

The labor force in New Jersey has changed in so many ways.

As it relates to COVID, the biggest impact on the New Jersey labor force is- - The biggest impact surely during COVID was on education and healthcare.

But we've come, we've bounced back fully and then some here in New Jersey.

So it's almost impossible for me to understand saying this, but it's almost like COVID is way in the rear view mirror when it comes to the job market in New Jersey.

We're at 120% - - Really?

- 120% of the jobs we had pre-COVID are here in New Jersey right now.

We are firing on all cylinders.

All sessions of our economy have come roaring back as far as job numbers.

And as you know Steve from talking to employers, the hardest problem is finding workers to fill some these spots, which is why apprenticeship is so critical.

- Okay, go back to that.

So when people say it's really hard to find people to work, is it any different from your perspective commissioner, that question, that issue in New Jersey versus other states?

Is there something unique about the New Jersey workforce or potential workforce or lack of workforce for businesses and organizations looking for talented people on their team?

- Listen, it's certainly a challenge across the country.

I talk to my counterparts across all the states.

Our labor force participation rate right here in New Jersey right now is the highest it's been in over a decade.

Our percentage of employed workers to workers in general is the highest it's been since 2008.

So it's more about, in New Jersey we are lucky to have such a highly educated workforce, a highly diverse workforce, best schools in the country, which is why employers come here.

Employers follow the workers and the workers wanna be in New Jersey.

There's never been a better time to be a worker.

- Shift gears, let's talk, It's protecting the rights of temporary workers.

Who are we talking about A, and what are the protections we're talking about?

- Great, great question Steve.

As of May 7th, temporary workers who work at temporary health service firms in New Jersey, look widely considered known as warehouse workers, but also other industries also where they just go to fill in temporary assignments when an employer might need them.

As of May 7th, they had to get information of when they're being dispatched, about the job they're going to, who the actual employer is, what their rate of pay is going to be.

It's really about transparency in that workforce 'cause very often you hear about workers going in just being either put in some van somewhere and not even knowing where they're going.

And for our purposes in our department they would bring forward wage claims, they wouldn't even know who their employer was or who they were working for or where they were working.

So we're working to bring transparency and protections to this very vital workforce in New Jersey where as you know, transportation logistics and warehousing are a huge sector of our economy.

- You know the, your department, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has full range of responsibilities.

- Yeah.

- And regulates if you will as well.

The drywall industry.

What the heck is the abuse that I keep hearing about and what is the role of your department in addressing and confronting that abuse?

- I'll answer that question Steve and the reason why drywall I think is a focus is 'cause basically almost every single construction project has that as part of it.

And for whatever reason over time that seems to be a sector of construction sites that's become more and more ripe for abuse.

And it seems to have something to do with somebody getting a contract and then subcontracted somebody else and then subcontracting that to somebody else.

And just layers upon layers.

As you get more further down to layers, there's less amount of money for the workers or where you see lots of abuse.

So one of our strategic enforcement initiatives, which means bringing all of our forces to bear, working with other state departments, working smarter, not just based on complaints is going after some of the drywall industries.

And also be very clear, this is about just enforcement.

This is about making sure that industries and employers who are doing the right thing by their workers don't have unfair competition from those who are exploiting their workers'.

We've been very active in this field.

- So it's interesting, a few seconds left, people talk about, oh, governments over regulating, they're in our way.

You're talking about protecting workers.

- Protecting workers and protecting businesses, whether it be about drywall or anything else.

And when employers are cutting corners and doing illegal things, they're hurting the mom and pop shops who are doing things the right way in New Jersey.

- Commissioner, I wanna thank you so much for joining us.

Incredibly important, timely and pressing issues dealing with the labor and workforce universe.

Thank you, commissioner.

- Thank you Steve.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato, that's the Commissioner.

Be back after this.

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