Employment

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that total non-farm employment for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida metropolitan statistical area stood at 2,741,500 in March 2020, up 16,400 or 0.6% over the year. During the same period, the national rate of job growth increased 1.0%. Regional Commissioner, Janet S. Rankin, noted that Miami’s over-the-year employment gain in March was less than the 27,500 jobs gained in February.

The Miami area is made up of three metropolitan divisions that are separate identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. All three divisions gained jobs over the year. Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, the largest of the three divisions and possessing 45% of the area’s employment, added 12,300 jobs since March 2019. The Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach division, which accounts for 32 percent of Miami area’s workforce, gained 2,500 jobs. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach division added 1,600 jobs over the 12-month period.

Industry Employment

Miami’s professional and business services sector had the largest over-the-year increase in March 2020, adding 7,100 jobs and making a 1.6% growth rate of jobs. Two of the three divisions gained jobs in this sector since March 2019, with the largest gain in the Fort Lauderdale metropolitan division with 4,900 additional jobs. Nationally, employment in professional and business services was up 1.5% over the year.

Individuals seeking employment can visit the Florida Jobs website for more information. Other employment sources for job seekers include http://www.usajobs.gov/   https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/    https://msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/msep/ http://www.careersourcesfl.com/   https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/mycaa/   https://careersourcebroward.com/   http://www.floridajobs.org/   websites.

The Army's Tuition Assistance program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a soldier’s professional and personal self-development goals. Active duty, U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard may receive funding for up to 16 semester hours per fiscal year at a rate up to $250 per semester hour to pursue a college degree during off-duty hours. The TA program is separate from the GI Bill and supports degree completion while serving. Soldiers can take classes online, in the classroom (on or off-post), or a combination of both. Tuition assistance provides a valuable benefit to improve the individual soldier, enhance promotion potential, future assignment opportunities and eventually prepare soldiers for gainful civilian employment as veterans. 

go to armyignited.com is the virtual gateway to request TA online, anytime, for both classroom and distance-learning college courses. It is your one-stop location for managing your college education and using TA benefits.

If you don’t already have a account, you will need armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login and click on create account.

• The Army will fund TA for up to 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit or a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first, and 39 semester hours of graduate credit or master's degree, whichever comes first. The 39 semester hour limit applies to all credits taken after completion of a baccalaureate degree.
• The Army will pay 100% of tuition costs up to the Department of Defense semester hour cap of $250 per semester hour up to 16 semester hours of TA funded courses not to exceed $4,000 per fiscal year.
• Tuition assistance is available for courses that are offered in the classroom or by distance learning that are part of an approved academic degree or certificate program. The courses must be offered by schools that are registered in armyignited.com  are accredited by accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and are signatories to the current DOD Memorandum of Understanding.  
• By law, officers who use TA incur a service obligation. Active-duty officers incur an active-duty service obligation of two years, and Reserve Component officers incur a reserve duty service obligation of four years. The ADSO/RDSO is calculated from the date of completion of the last course for which TA was used.

Further details on the provisions of TA are found in AR 621-5 and policy documents signed by the Director, Army Continuing Education System.

Requesting Tuition Assistance

1. Tuition assistance enrollment requests must be submitted and approved through armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login prior to the course start date; any enrollments requested on or after the class start date will be approved as soldier funded and TA will NOT be applied.
2. Tuition assistance is requested on a course-by-course basis, and each course must be part of an approved degree program.
3. armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login  will notify the soldier, whether the TA is approved or not. If the TA request is not approved, armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login  will advise the soldier of the reason and next steps.
4. All drops/withdrawals must take place through armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login Soldiers who do not successfully complete a class will be required to repay the TA. Soldiers who are unable to successfully complete a class due to military reasons must request a Withdrawal for Military Reasons through armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login and complete all required steps to ensure that they will not be charged.
5. If the soldier wishes to take a class with a school that does not participate in the electronic armyignited.com  https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login class schedule, a TA Request Authorization form must be completed in armyignited.com The TA Request Authorization will be routed to an Army Education Counselor to be reviewed and approved. Soldiers should allow extra time for this. If the TA Request Authorization is approved, the soldier will be notified by email. Soldiers must print the approved TA Request Authorization form in armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login provide it to the school and enroll directly with the school.
6. Soldiers must acknowledge and electronically sign the TA Statement of Understanding each quarter they wish to use TA.

Army Credentialing Assistance Program

The Army Credentialing Assistance program is now effective Army-wide. Much like tuition assistance, soldiers can request CA for training that leads to a credential, license or certification through armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login Credentialing assistance will pay for training courses that lead to a credential, and also provides funding for books, materials, fees, exams and recertification. Soldiers have a combined fiscal year limit not to exceed $4,000 for use towards TA and CA.

More than 1,600 credentials, licenses and certifications are listed in Army Credentialing Opportunities Online. COOL aligns credentials to soldiers’ military occupational specialties, but for CA, soldiers can select and earn credentials during their off-duty time that are not related to their MOS.

• Credentialing assistance enrollments must be submitted through a armyignited.com https://www.armyignited.army.mil/student/account/login Helpdesk Case at least 30 business days prior to course or exam start date. Soldiers will NOT be reimbursed for any amount paid upfront.
• Soldiers MUST contact the vendor to determine start and end dates. They will also need to ask the training provider for required books, materials, prerequisites, etc. and add this information to the CA request.
• Soldiers wishing to change or withdraw from a credentialing course/exam must open a new armyignited.com helpdesk case and do so using the appropriate withdrawal form.
• Soldiers must successfully complete the credentialing course or exam to avoid having to repay the Army for the cost of the course/exam. CA will become eligible again once they have reimbursed the Army for the entire amount of CA debt.
• Soldiers must attach a copy of their signed Statement of Understanding to all CA requests.

Due to COVID-19, many of the normal processes to file for Florida state unemployment Insurance and reemployment assistance, are currently being revised. Check out frequently asked questions about unemployment and COVID-19 and the Florida unemployment website for additional information on how to process your request.

Unemployment Claims Insurance and the Reemployment Assistance Program in Florida reflect a comprehensive goal of assisting Floridians during periods of unemployment, through monetary assistance and helping them to find work and training through Florida's CareerSource Centers. The Reemployment Assistance Program provides temporary, partial wage replacement benefits to qualified workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. It is funded solely by employers who pay federal and state payroll taxes and is provided at no cost to the workers who receive the benefits.

In order to apply, you must compete an application on the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity CONNECT login page by entering your Social Security number and selecting a four-digit personal identification number. You establish a PIN and security questions during your first application for benefits. PINs expire after 90 days. If you need to change your PIN for any reason, you can select the “Forgot PIN” option prior to logging in and follow the prompts to reset your PIN.

Before filing, make sure you have the following documents available:

• Social Security number
• Driver's license or state identification number
• Your employment records for the last 18 months of work, including your name, address and phone number; your first and last day of work; your gross earnings before taxes are taken out during the dates listed; Federal Employer Identification Number (this is found on any W2 or 1099 tax form you have received). If you don't have the FEIN, you can use employer details from a recent pay stub for each employer.

Additionally, if you are one of the following, make sure you have this additional information available:

• Not a U.S. Citizen, alien registration number or other work authorization form
• Military employee: DD-214 member 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 may be used
• Federal employee: SF8 or SF50
• Union member: Union name, hall number and phone number

Additional information is also available by contacting CareerSource South Florida at 305-594-7615 or by visiting the website.