The Loomis Co., an insurance brokerage business headquartered in Wyomissing, informed the state Department of Labor & Industry on Nov. 9 that close to 300 employees will be losing their jobs at the end of the year.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new proposal recently on whether workers under the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) should be classified as employees or independent contractors. 

The U.S. labor market performed well beyond expectations last month, adding 528,000 jobs and dropping the unemployment rate to 3.5%.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped below 5% in March, something the state hasn’t seen since the rate peaked at 16.5% during the early days of the pandemic. 

A bill introduced in the state Senate last week would permanently allow the sale of cocktails-to-go in Pennsylvania after they were temporarily allowed for sale during the pandemic. 

An update to Pennsylvania’s rules regarding how employers pay tipped workers will be voted on by the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission during a meeting next month. 

The state Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) announced on Tuesday that Pennsylvania will be awarded up to $100,000 to provide technical assistance to ensure job seekers have the skills needed to participate in a rapidly changing workforce. 

The extreme worker shortage that many industries are facing isn’t just impacting employers. Those who are working on the front lines for short-staffed workplaces are finding long hours, extra tasks and missed time off.

A federal agency’s recent report shows the Lehigh Valley’s economic output for private industry pushing past $41 billion, a 4.4 percent increase over the previous year.