The U.S. Senate passed a relief package Wednesday that includes a boost for unemployment. If the House also approves the measure and President Trump signs it, self-employed folks, gig workers or contractors, and furloughed workers qualify. The package also increases how much money people will get. KUNM’s Khalil Ekulona spoke with Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley about how the state was handling the spike in demand.
In episode 27, we hear from tipped service-industry workers about what they're facing as restaurants and bars around the state close their doors—unless you're ordering to-go. And host Khalil Ekulona calls his old boss, Ken Carson, who owns Nexus Brewery & Restaurant to talk about shuttering one location because of the impact of the COVID health measures.
The state is looking to hire hundreds of new employees over the next two weeks. Agencies will accept walk-in applicants at “rapid hire” events in Carlsbad, Roswell, Farmington, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces.
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Let's Talk New Mexico 11/16 8a: New Mexico is one of dozens of states and communities vying for Amazon’s second headquarters. Many places are promising hefty incentives to land the deal, just as we did unsuccessfully several years ago for a Tesla facility. Should New Mexico offer incentives to lure big companies that could jumpstart our economy? Email letstalk@kunm.org, use the hashtag #letstalkNM on Twitter or call in live during the show.
Finding employment can be a challenge for anyone entering the job market. For people with disabilities, those challenges can be even greater—the unemployment rate for that group is twice that of the overall population.
The national unemployment rate has dropped to 5.9 percent, but that doesn’t mean that there are more teens and young adults in the New Mexico workforce. In fact, that number has been dropping for decades, according to a recent report.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty in federal court to filing hundreds of fraudulent unemployment claims worth millions. From the Fronteras Changing America Desk, Jude Joffe-Block reports the scheme cheated the government of 4-point-4 million dollars.
