BILL NUMBER: S3337 sk 1  
TITLE OF BILL: sk 1 An act to amend the
SPONSOR: COONEY
labor law, in relation to establishing an online database identifying
regional skills and employment gaps and the skills and training needed
to fill open and anticipated jobs
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to establish an online database which iden-
tifies regional labor market shortages, regional skills gaps, and the
skills and training needed to fill open and anticipated jobs.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 21 of the labor law by adding a new subdivision
16 to require the Department of Labor to establish and maintain an
online database using statewide labor market data and other data sources
to show regional labor market shortages and skills gaps; to create defi-
nitions and set forth the types of data to be included in the database;
and to establish a deadline of within one year for the database to
become publicly accessible. Section 2 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The combination of thousands of open, unfilled jobs and the shortage of
skilled workers to fill them, as well as the loss of workers due to the
pandemic and looming retirements, makes clear the need for a tool that
employers, educators, training providers, economic development planners,
policy makers and the public can use to proactively address shortages in
the educational pipeline and skills gaps in the existing workforce.
The Monroe Community College Economic and Workforce Development Center
(EWDC) has developed such a tool - the Labor Market Information website
- for its region, and this bill requires the Department of Labor to
replicate and expand that online, user-friendly, data-driven tool to
address regional labor markets statewide. Monroe Community College has
successfully pulled together many sources of data to show database users
what specific jobs are in demand, how many openings there are in the
region, how many potential workers are recently trained in the skills
needed for those jobs, and how to get the training needed for those
jobs.
In the words of the EWDC: "The overall goal of this resource is to
deliver high-quality, relevant and actionable labor market data. Data is
useful only to the extent that it may be analyzed and applied to create
or support meaningful outcomes."
The bill requires the Department of Labor to provide data that reflect
the 10 Regional Economic Development Councils and the industries and
economic development priorities they have already established, including
focusing on jobs in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, applied technol-
ogies, information and computer technology, and education.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: S.1021
2021-22: S.8451
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately

Statutes affected:
S3337: 21 labor law