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Members of a state Senate committee have grilled the head of the Louisiana's labor department for answers on what exactly the revamped agency will be doing to bring jobs to their constituents.

Democratic State Senator Francis Thompson expressed frustration over how the Department of Labor, now called the Louisiana Workforce Commission, spent money in the past. He said the department did not have focused priorities and was not helping meet employment needs in some areas of the state, despite a $270 million budget.

“I’m wanting to see some results, and I don’t want to wait another year,” Thompson said.

Appointments still need to be made for the state Workforce Investment Council, also created through the legislation. The council will conduct occupational forecasting studies, to anticipate job demand and help direct where money is spent.

Workforce Commission Executive Director Tim Barfield told legislators he would like to better connect unemployment insurance to work-force development, by helping the unemployed with job opportunities or training.

Barfield said the commission is also trying to reduce the time employees spend in the worker’s compensation program by revising medical reimbursement schedules, putting records in electronic formats and looking into redirecting injured individuals to new employment.

 

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