Sneak peek at state’s 2014 employment numbers
By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has released a sneak peek of some the state’s key employment numbers for Fiscal Year 2014, which ended Sept. 30.
Tom Bastian, the department’s director of communications, was a guest speaker at the Dec. 10 Labor Law Breakfast, a series sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension St. Louis County.
Bastian provided some key facts from the department’s varios divisions that were derived from the annual report. The full report should be released in the next week or so.
Bastian also provided an overview of the mission of the Labor Department and explained the responsibilities of each division.
Here’s a look at the divisions and the numbers each reported for Fiscal Year 2014:
DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
The Division of Employment Security pays unemployment insurance benefits to individuals who are determined eligible under the law. It also collects tax contributions from employers, which are used to pay unemployment insurance benefits.
- Initial Claims Filed – 339,195
- Maximum Benefit Amount – $320
- Minimum Benefit Amount – $35
- Average Weekly Benefit Amount, as of Sept. 30 – $243.36
- Average Duration of Claims, as of Sept. 30 – 14.4 weeks
- National Unemployment Rate – 5.8
- Missouri Unemployment Rate – 5.9
- Workplace Injuries Filed – 104,620
- Total Workers’ Compensation Awards and Settlements –18,629
- Fraud and Noncompliance Cases Investigated – 1,923
- Fraud and Noncompliance Cases Referred for Prosecution – 368
DIVISION OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
The Division of Workers’ Compensation administers programs for Missouri workers who are injured on the job or who develop occupational diseases. It also receives reports of workplace injuries and adjudicates workers’ compensation claims.
DIVISION OF LABOR STANDARDS
The Division of Labor Standards is responsible for the state’s Mine and Cave Safety and Health Program and inspects state mines and show caves. It also handles wages, hours and dismissal rights, provides on-site consultations and conducts the On-Site Safety and Health Consultation and Safety and Health Achievement Recognition programs.
- Child Labor Complaints Received – 10
- Child Labor Violations Found – 17
- Mines/Caves Inspected – 556
- Miners Trained – 2,289
- On-Site Consultations Conducted – 537
- Prevailing Wage Complaints Received – 139
- Prevailing Wage Violations Found – 60
- Prevailing Wage Restitution Assessed • $326,061
- Affected Workers Receiving Restitution – 287
- Minimum Wage Complaints Received – 697
- Minimum Wage Violations Found – 61
- Minimum Wage Restitution Assessed – $75,570
- Affected Workers Receiving Back Wages – 320
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
The Missouri Commission on Human Rights has jurisdiction over complaints of discrimination in housing, employment and places of public accommodations based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, age and familial status.
- Discrimination Cases Received – 1,876
- Decisions Rendered – 1,538
- Percent of Complaints Filed by Category – Employment 84 percent; Housing 6 percent; Public Accommodations 10 percent.
- Percent of Complaints Filed by Type – Retaliation 44.1 percent; Sex 29.9 percent; Race 29.1 percent; Disability 22.1 percent; Age: 19 percent.
(These percentages will not total 100 percent due to multiple sources and allegations.)
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