‘USDOL presents NMI with options to combat joblessness’

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, seated center, poses with Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente, seated second from right, and other employees of the CNMI Department of Labor during a visit to the office yesterday, during which Torres thanked them for their work throughout the past two years of this pandemic.
(OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR)

Now that the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has lapsed, the U.S. Department of Labor has presented grant opportunities to the CNMI to help the CNMI workforce get back on its feet, according to the CNMI Department of Labor.

According Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente, even though the CNMI has concluded its PUA program, other grants have been presented to continue the CNMI’s workforce development.

“There are other opportunities that are being presented to the CNMI DOL from the U.S. DOL regarding grant opportunities. We’re looking into that to continue with our workforce development [and] training initiatives because that’s what we’re here for—to help people get back on their feet and get jobs,” she said.

Benavente said the U.S. DOL is aware of the CNMI’s unique and challenging situation since its main economic driver is tourism.

“I have informed our U.S. DOL partners that the situation in the CNMI is still quite difficult, quite challenging, and quite dire, in light of more cancellations coming about from our major economic driver, which is tourism, so U.S. DOL is aware of what we are facing,” she said.

In response, U.S. DOL and CNMI DOL are in discussion about several possible grants that could possibly provide benefits for those who still remain jobless or remain on reduced hours because of the ongoing pandemic.

“I can’t promise that they have indicated that there will be another program like PUA, but we’re in discussion about another opportunity like grants that will hopefully continue to next year,” she said.

Benavente noted that it is believed that there are thousands who are still jobless because businesses, especially businesses that run off of tourists, are still closed or are not operating at 100% capacity.

“Fairly regularly, we are looking at a few thousand still unemployed or many more thousands still on reduced hours [because] businesses have not gone back to 100% The trend, based on unemployment claims, looks like we’re still at a steady pace of unemployment. We haven’t increased, but we haven’t decreased either. Its staying at about 300 claimants per week. They’re coming in to file the last months of PUA,” Benavente said.

Meanwhile, according to a recent update on PUA, a little over 300 initial claimants are still waiting for unemployment assistance and about $266 million of the $700 million allocated to the CNMI for PUA and FPUC has been disbursed.