EMPLOYMENT LAW: US Dept of Labor Gives $119.6M to Assist Worker

July 14, 2010

Washington – The US Department of Labor has allocated at least $119.6 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to states to help workers who lose their jobs because of outsourcing and the effects of foreign trade, a press statement in its website had announced recently.

The funding came from the department’s second distribution for fiscal year 2010 and comprised about 90 percent of the total amount available for this year’s TAA training.

The TAA is an agency’s program which provides workers with skills training, resources and support until they find new employment.

The program is an expansion and reform part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which authorizes the use of TAA funds for workers’ training nationwide, with funds ranging from $220 to $575 million.

The Recovery Act has also modified the calculations on how the TAA funds will be distributed to states so that areas the need the funds badly will receive the most.