Human Resources, Labour and Employment
December 28, 2006Government
Advances Social Policy Agenda in 2006
The Williams government made significant progress this
year in advancing its social policy and program commitments to the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Within its mandate, the Department
of Human Resources, Labour and Employment (HRLE) has taken the lead on a
series of measures to help its clients achieve greater self-reliance and
play an active role in their communities, while fostering measures to
promote a healthy labour market in the province and contribute to its
economic development.
�Government is aggressively moving forward to implement it strategic
goals, including decreasing the number of youth on income support,
increasing access to labour market information and supports and fully
implementing a new service delivery model to more effectively deliver
programs and services to our clients,� said the Honourable Paul Shelley,
Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment. �Included in this is
a commitment to, over the next ten years, implement a series of measures
outlined in the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and to alleviate, reduce and
ultimately eliminate poverty in our province.�
The Poverty Reduction Strategy, only the second of its kind in the
country, demonstrates that partnership and consensus between government
and the community is critical in providing a range of supports to help
people overcome barriers and improve their quality of life. The
initiative is a long-term effort to move Newfoundland and Labrador
forward from the province with the most poverty to one with the least in
the country. In meeting the commitment, $64 million annually is
earmarked to realize and support a shared vision for the province in
which poverty is eliminated. In addition to new investments, significant
progress is being made to reorganize the way in which the department
provides services to the public.
In 2006, the department successfully implemented a new service delivery
model for income support in the Avalon, Central and Western regions of
the province. In 2007, with the Labrador region coming on stream, the
department will achieve province-wide implementation of the model. The
new delivery structure offers greater privacy and ease of access to
people who need assistance. The new approach places a greater emphasis
on helping clients make a successful transition from income support to
work. It supports the department�s mission to provide enhanced supports
and services to better assist people, particularly youth, gain entry and
maintain attachment to the labour market and reduce their dependency on
income support.
2006 also saw the successful launch of the new Labour Market Development
and Client Services division within the department. The division
provides timely and accurate labour market information and services to
assist employers, workers, new and returning job seekers and students
make informed labour market choices. The division co-manages the
federal-provincial Labour Market Development Agreement, coordinates
partnerships between government and stakeholder groups to better
identify and respond to labour market issues and develops and
distributes labour market information.
The Labour Market Symposium held in October is an example of how the
department meets its labour market development mandate. The symposium
brought together the business community, labour, community-based
organizations, economic development agencies, municipalities and other
interested stakeholders with an interest in labour market development to
discuss the latest trends and research, foster new partnerships and
increase collaboration. Similar progress is being made in the area of
new immigration.
Over the last year, major strides were made in moving forward on an
immigration strategy for the province. Following a series of
province-wide consultations, the department released �What We Heard:
Report of Consultations on a Provincial Immigration Strategy.� In
September, the department hosted a successful immigration symposium. The
symposium brought together stakeholders from throughout the province and
helped raise the profile of immigration as an important element in
overall economic development of the province. Government is working
towards finalizing the development of the strategy.
�This is a province on the move, a province with tremendous potential
and, with emerging opportunities for economic growth, it requires an
active and engaged human resource development agenda,� said Minister
Shelley. �The Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment has
made significant progress in 2006 across a number of key policy areas,
including poverty reduction, client service delivery, labour market
development and immigration.�
On December 12, 2006 the HRLE Strategic Plan for the upcoming two years
was tabled in the House of Assembly. It builds on the success and
progress made in 2006. It reflects a vision, mission and set of goals to
guide the actions of the department in meeting its mandate to support a
progressive and focused human resource development agenda for the
province. A copy of the HRLE Strategic Plan can be found at:
//www.hrle.gov.nl.ca/hrle/publications/list.htm
�I am firmly committed to helping our people maximize their skills and
abilities and enable them to contribute to our collective goal of a
prosperous and bright future for ourselves and our children,� said
Minister Shelley.
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Media contact:
Ed Moriarity
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
709-729-4062, 728-9623
edmoriarity@gov.nl.ca
2006 12 28
1:00 p.m.