Department of Labor

Washington state’s Department of Labor & Industries has proposed an increase in workers’ compensation insurance rates for employers. The proposal, reported in the Tri-Cities business press, would raise premiums that businesses pay to fund the state-fund workers’ comp system. Employers and business groups typically weigh in during the public comment period, arguing over costs versus benefit adequacy.

The Senate has confirmed Keith Sonderling, described as a business ally, as US labor secretary. Sonderling, previously a senior official at the Labor Department, will now lead the agency responsible for workplace standards, wage policy, and worker protections. The confirmation places a management-side figure at the helm of labor policy, drawing attention to how the department will balance employer and worker interests going forward.

A local restaurant has paid back $81,000 to its workers following a federal investigation, KSAT reports. The repayment follows a US Department of Labor probe into the restaurant's pay practices. Little detail is available yet on how many employees were affected or what specific violations investigators found.

The US Senate has confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor. Sonderling, a former Labor Department official and Florida-based attorney, now takes charge of the department overseeing workplace rights, wages and unemployment programs. Details beyond the confirmation vote remain limited, and reaction from lawmakers and labor groups is not yet clear.

The Securities and Exchange Commission under the Trump administration is moving in step with the Department of Labor on measures seen as supporting private equity, an approach critics describe as a bailout push for the industry. The Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a watchdog group, flagged the development, arguing regulators are opening the door for retirement funds and retail investors to take on private equity risks.

The latest JOLTS survey from the US Labor Department shows little change in the American labor market, with hiring and layoffs both remaining subdued. The data suggest employers are holding onto workers but reluctant to add new staff, a pattern economists describe as a low-hire, low-fire economy. Commentators are weighing what the stagnation means for job seekers and for Federal Reserve rate policy.

The United States Senate has approved President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Labor. The confirmation vote allows the nominee to formally take charge of the department, which oversees workplace rules, wages and employment policy. Details about the vote count and the nominee's name were not included in initial reports, and reaction from lawmakers and labour groups has not yet been widely reported.