NJBIA recently hosted a virtual joint Education & Workforce Development & Employment & Labor Policy Committee to discuss new developments in these topic areas.
The event featured Employers Association of New Jersey (EANJ) Vice President Amy Vazquez and New Jersey Department of Labor Assistant Director of Business Services & Strategies Howard Miller.
Vazquez began the call by sharing updates on HR practices and retirement plans, starting with legislation signed by Acting Governor Tahesha Way in August that imposes civil penalties on employers who disclose, or threaten to disclose, an employee’s immigration status to hide labor violations.
She then updated participants on RetireReady New Jersey, a new retirement savings program created by New Jersey Secure Choice Savings Act. With this new service, businesses can help workers save for retirement through Roth and IRA using payroll deductions. Employers with 25 or more employees are now mandated to offer retirement savings plans for their employees.
Miller then updated the committee on three programs offered through the New Jersey Department of Labor to assist employers with talent acquisition and grant services. One of them is the Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors (GAINS) program, which provides 50% wage reimbursement for up to 12 months of newly hired apprentices in target industries.
Another program that Miller briefed the committee on is UpSkill, New Jersey’s incumbent worker training program, which provides cost reimbursement to train incumbent frontline employees to meet current and future occupational skill requirements.
To conclude the meeting, NJBIA’s Vice Presidents of Government Affairs Althea D. Ford and Elissa Frank provided updates on key administrative actions and legislation under consideration.
Additionally, Ford noted that on October 8, NJBIA will be hosting a focus group centered around current and emerging childcare issues, particularly how they are impacting employers and their ability to recruit and retain their workforce, at New Jersey at NJBIA’s headquarters in Trenton.
Members interested in joining the discussion should email Ford at aford@njbia.org.
Ford also shared several education bills that NJBIA supports and is currently tracking including S-3229/A-4301 which expands the Tuition Aid Grant program to include workforce training programs, and S-1421/A-3222 which requires school report cards to include additional information regarding the placement of graduates outside of college enrollment.
Additionally, Frank shared the two labor bills she is currently tracking including A-4621/S-3628, which requires employers to disclose information concerning leave eligibility in hiring packages, and A-4625/S-3509 which sets burdensome requirements for New Jersey employers as it relates to publicly advertised job postings.
