Pioneer Press: Ramsey County announces three initiatives to help job seekers find employment

With the economic fallout from the COVID-19 lockdown still unknown, Ramsey County is positioning itself to help residents find and maintain steady employment.

County commissioners announced several initiatives at their board meeting Tuesday, anticipating the need for those in some pared down sectors to seek job training and others to require help doing business online.

A jobs website, Techpaks for those without computers, and Career Labs in libraries are three ways the county will use the $96 million in federal relief it received to help residents navigate the pandemic.

As of March 16, 86,000 Ramsey County residents have filed for unemployment, which is 30 percent of its 2019 labor force. Some industries were hit harder than others.

“What COVID has done around the hospitality, retail and restaurant industry, is that it’s really accelerated overnight, the change that we were going to see in our labor force over a longer period of time,” said Ling Becker, director of the county’s Workforce Solutions department.

Read more here.