Celebrating Workforce Development Month
For many, Labor Day is mostly recognized as a day that signifies the end of summer but for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), the federal holiday represents much more. It marks the beginning of Workforce Development Month and serves as a reminder of how DWD’s efforts help strengthen Indiana’s overall workforce by providing a variety of services that benefit employees and employers alike.
Dating back to June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland made the holiday official to recognize and honor the American labor movement, and the significant contributions workers have made to the developments and achievements of the United States, Labor Day has traditionally been celebrated on the first Monday of September. However, in some ways, every day is Labor Day for DWD.
The agency helps first-time job seekers, Hoosiers wanting a better job, individuals hoping to re-enter the workforce, and even those interested in changing career paths altogether through a variety of career exploration tools such as Indiana Career Explorer, and INDemand Jobs.
Indiana Career Connect provides job hunters with helpful resources that include a resume builder and a dashboard with current vacancies across the state.
Through programs for Indiana Adult Education and Work-Based Learning, lifelong learners can pursue their high school equivalency or enhance existing skills and develop new ones.
Employers benefit from Employer Training Grants that allow them to hire, train, and retain new employees in middle skill, high-demand, and high-wage jobs.
Thanks in part to DWD’s efforts to help strengthen Indiana’s overall workforce as well as the work-related status of many Hoosiers, individually, the state’s July 2024 unemployment rate was only 4.0% compared to a national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Additionally, from 2007 to 2023, average hourly earnings grew 49% in the state, and since 2017, Indiana has grown faster than the nation in productivity.
For DWD, Workforce Development Month is much more than a period of acknowledgement. In fact, it’s a strong representation of who we are and what we do.
