From Failte 32 email/newsletter 02/11/11 – Dept. of Labor and J1’s…….

Failte 32 was recently talking to the Dept. of labor in relation to the Department’s services, and whether or not it would be worthwhile for those on visas including the J1 to avail of them. As long as one has a social security number and is eligible to work in the U.S., the Dept. of labor sees no reason why those on working visas cannot make use of or benefit from their services. The Dept. of labor is an excellent source of job opportunities, and has state of the art facilities and services throughout the state including a newly updated job bank called ‘JOBcentral’, and numerous ‘One-Stop career centers’.

Our perception sometimes is that the Dept. of Labor is somewhere to go to collect employment benefits, not a place where one can maximize their job hunting efforts. One feature of JOBcentral provides instant access to newly-open jobs. As soon as a subscribing company posts an opening, it goes from its Web site into the bank. Job seekers can even program the Web site to alert them when certain job openings appear. As channel NY1 found out, if you’re one of the many looking for work, JOBcentral – the new, New York State job bank – is packed with plenty of leads.

“We’ve got about 85,000 jobs listed already and we expect that will expand,” said Department of Labor Commissioner Colleen Gardner.

Why do we recommend that J1 visa holders utilize the Dept. of Labor’s services? Initially, when we spoke to the Dept. of Labor, it was of the opinion that since these types of visas tend to be transient (limit of one year for IWT J1), employers seeking to train longer-term employees would not be interested in hiring these types of visa holders. However, this is not the case for all J1 visa holders. The case we made to the Dept. of Labor is that there are those on J1 visas who intend extending their time in the U.S. well beyond a year by applying for other working visa options including the H1B visa. This point was well taken by the Dept. of Labor once they understood that these types of ‘bridging’ visas are available.

Therefore if you are on a J1 visa and intend extending your time in the U.S. beyond one year by applying for a H1B or other longer-term working visa, it is important that you explain this to employers during your interview so that they view you as they would any other employee applicant, and suggest to them that they also consider sponsoring you for a H1B visa if they are happy with your performance during the term of your training on the J1. The fact that the employer can avail of the tax benefits (for one year) highlighted in my prior emails by hiring a J1 visa holder, makes those on J1 visas planning to seamlessly extend their work authorization in the U.S. very attractive trainee candidates, and we believe equally as attractive as any other candidate. Any additional expense incurred by the employer by sponsoring you will be offset to some extent by the tax savings the employer receives during the period of your training on the J1 visa. Also, as per one of my prior emails, being able to hire someone for a year (on a J1) with the option of extending their employment thereafter (H1B)at your discretion, is an attractive HR strategy for employers.

Failte 32 has been indirectly supporting the Dept. of Labor since we launched, by spreading the word about many of the Department’s continuous recruitment events, ‘company of the week’ candidates, and other items including important tax incentives as they apply to job seekers (see www.RendezVous353.com Failte32 minisite). We feel this is a very important part of the service we offer, and the state of the art facilities and services provided by the Dept. of Labor only serve to leverage our own capabilities in supporting those seeking employment in the region.

See also the Dept. of Labor Research and Statistics Division “What Fields are Hiring in My Part of the State” (below)

Visit www.labor.ny.gov/home

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What Fields are Hiring in My Part of the State?

If you want to find out what jobs are in demand in your region; what the job prospects look like in your backyard; even what type of training is most likely to get you the career you want, look no further.

The Dept. of Labor Research and Statistics Division has that information – and you can have it too.

It’s the Employment Projections and Jobs in Demand page, on the Dept. of Labor website.

What jobs are in demand in the Hudson Valley – or Western New York?

What are the short term occupational projections in the Finger Lakes?

How about employment prospects in the North Country?

Need some more help with your job search? Visit your local One-Stop Career Center. They’re there to give you the help you need – and stay informed by subscribing to the Labor Buzz today for the latest news, jobs and tips for job seekers, businesses, and workers!