Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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working part-time for economic reasons.176 The latter two classifications are types of labor underutilization, or "underemployed" workers.177 Finally, the interim final rule specified that assistance to unemployed workers included both workers who lost their job during the pandemic and resulting recession and workers unemployed when the pandemic began who saw further deterioration of their economic prospects due to the pandemic. Public Comment: Commenters generally supported the inclusion of this enumerated eligible use. One commenter recommended including assistance for underemployed workers who took jobs due to the pandemic that did not fully utilize their skillset or did not provide the hours, wages, or job quality desired. Treasury has also received recipient questions on whether job fairs or grants to businesses to hire underserved workers are eligible uses under this category. Another commenter recommended flexibility in eligible workforce development programs, arguing that rural areas may face particular challenges. Treasury Response: Treasury is maintaining this eligible use in the final rule, including the enumerated eligible services in the interim final rule and subsequent guidance. Treasury is also confirming that job fairs or grants to businesses to hire underserved workers are eligible uses under this section. Treasury is also enumerating that job and workforce training centers are eligible capital expenditures, so long as they adhere to the standards and presumptions detailed in the section Capital Expenditures in General Provisions: Other. The final rule maintains the definition of eligible beneficiaries, which is aligned with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' definitions of unemployed workers and other labor underutilization, 17h Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey: Concepts and Definitions, https://www.bls.gov/cps/definitions.htm (last visited November 9, 2021). 177 Id. 117