Labor secretary talks about worker shortage, economic opportunities for Mass.

In January, Gov. Maura Healey named Lauren Jones to be secretary of labor and workforce development. The department manages the state’s unemployment insurance program, labor relations, worker safety, as well as some workforce development programs.

Jones has worked in both the private and public sectors. Most recently, she was the executive vice president of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, a nonprofit made up of the state’s top business executives. She also held business and communications roles under Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Deval Patrick.

WBUR’s Yasmin Amer spoke to Secretary Jones about her first two months on the job and her priorities moving forward.

Below are highlights from their conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.

What are you most focused on in your role as secretary of labor and workforce development? 

Jones: "My first several weeks on the job have really been focused on fully understanding my team, truly understanding their resources, their impact, and making sure that I can be a good ambassador for the services that our teams deliver.

"I've also focused on really getting my hands around the challenges as we think about our workforce shortage issues and thinking about the role that state government can play in trying to bridge the connections between job opportunities and the trends we're seeing in industry.

"Labor and Workforce Development Secretariat spans from worker safety to worker rights, as well as ensuring jobseekers and individuals that are unemployed and underemployed have the resources to get back on their feet and hopefully thrive in a way that also supports employers that are actively looking for talent.”

You just mentioned one of the most prominent problems that we're having in the commonwealth, which is this worker shortage. In this role, what can be done about that? 

Jones: "We are in a very unique time where we have significant federal dollars that have been brought to bear thanks to support by the Legislature. And we really want to make sure that we're able to deliver those dollars, given this unique time, to make sure that scalable high impact programs can be recipients of these [and] end up providing even more pathways for meaningful careers.

"We're seeing more funding being allocated to programs like the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund. There are also tools that have been in our toolbox for a long time, like the Workforce Training Fund. And I often plug that program, especially when I meet with companies who may not even realize that they have this program available to them. It's a fund that employers pay into and they're able to access for direct or matching funds to be able to train their own employees."

Some business groups and organizations have complained about high costs of doing business in the state. Do you think Massachusetts is business friendly? 

Jones: "We are a welcoming place to do business and we want to make sure that employers know that we are grateful for them doing business here. And we also want to make sure that employers know we want them to succeed in doing business here.

"I don't think it was coincidental that I was sworn in on the same day as Secretary [Yvonne] Hao, of economic development, and on day one, I have really appreciated the team that Gov. Healey has created, including the opportunity to partner with Secretary Hao. We are jointly letting the business community know that we want to partner with them."

There has been more interest in labor, more [union] petitions that have been filed, so I am wondering what conversations have you had with labor so far and what do you see going forward for the labor movement in Massachusetts? 

Jones: "I was really grateful to be able to sit down with many leaders within the labor community, including AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Building Trades and so many other leaders that represent their workers in industries across the commonwealth. And I want to continue to build that relationship moving forward."

What keeps you up at night? 

Jones: "At the end of the day, I'm trying to make sure that the barriers to employment are really lifted. If people can't physically get to training or they can't physically get to a job because of transportation, because of housing instability, because of child care, because English is not their first language. We need to think about all of these factors to make sure that we're able to lift up more people, get more people back into the labor market, and really support a strong workforce."

You were a crisis communication manager during state Labor Secretary Joanne Goldstein's time. The state rolled out the new unemployment software and it was riddled with issues. A lot of people didn't get paid. I want to know what you learned from that incident — and if could you handle a similar crisis now that you’re in this role? 

Jones: "Just on the heels of the latest phase of the unemployment insurance online project launching, I had about two weeks to dive in [to the new role.] And as that program rolled out, it had its fair share of challenges as a lot of different tech innovations in government did if you look back 10 years ago.

"The biggest lesson that I have carried with my professional career and certainly in this in this role is whether you're talking about line items or you're talking about service delivery, you're thinking about all of this with people in mind, right? At the end of the day, knowing that whatever decision we make, whether it's connecting jobseekers to opportunities, awarding funds, it's going to hopefully make a difference in people's lives."

Where do you see the commonwealth expanding? What do you see as the next hot sectors?

Jones: "Gov. Healey, not by accident, has made a commitment to clean energy, and you'll see that reflected in the governor's proposed budget for fiscal year '24 — dedicating 1% of her budget to clean energy. That signals that we see this as a growth opportunity in the commonwealth and for me as a labor and workforce development secretary, that means thinking about the jobs that are in that industry, the jobs that are here today, the jobs that are going to be part of this industry and the future and the pipeline that we need to invest in today to have a robust talent pool for the future."

Who’s your role model?

Jones: "I have always admired my father. He has really represented resilience and perseverance from a time when he was a child — losing his parents by the time he was 12. He has always played a key role in instilling true values for me throughout my time growing up as well as throughout my professional career. And I consider [my father] not only a role model, but a mentor in that capacity as well."