April 1–Today, nonprofits DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), announce the launch of NeedAJobNow.USNLx.com, a job site dedicated to providing a centralized location for displaced workers to access employment opportunities from U.S. corporations with immediate hiring needs due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Powered by the National Labor Exchange (NLx), the site houses jobs from vetted employers in all industries and provides an opportunity for Americans to return to work and gain meaningful employment.

“The National Labor Exchange’s mission is to provide a cost-effective national employment system that improves labor market efficiency. We are working together to align and leverage the assets and power of major U.S. corporations and all workforce partners to minimize the economic impact on displaced workers due to COVID-19,” says Candee Chambers, DirectEmployers Association’s Executive Director.

NeedAJobNow.USNLx.com contains over 400,000 job openings and continues to grow daily. While many employers are downsizing their staff, others are significantly increasing their hiring efforts due to current demands. Through this initiative, DirectEmployers and NASWA will assist in bridging the gap between job supply and demand by offering an easy way for job seekers to gain access to current open positions and for employers to fill positions quickly and efficiently during these difficult times.

“This new tool will help states quickly connect workers to employers with urgent job openings,” said Scott B. Sanders, NASWA Executive Director. “The Need A Job Now site will provide new opportunities for our workforce during these unprecedented times and we are proud to be a partner in this NLx initiative.”

As part of the NLx, this resource is offered at no cost to job seekers or employers. All jobs found on NeedAJobNow.USNLx.com will be refreshed daily with current job content from employers across the country. Employers wishing to have their jobs included within the site can visit https://needajobnow.usnlx.com/post for more information.

On April 3, at the direction of President Trump, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as nursing homes, to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in nursing homes. The recommendations build on and strengthen recent guidance from CMS and CDC related to effective implementation of longstanding infection control procedures.

Press Release

Guidance

The U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) and Small Business Administration (SBA) released an interim final rule on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). While SBA still needs to confirm some administrative details, loans will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and producers can get started on the application now.

• For a top-line overview of the PPP program CLICK HERE
• Information for prospective borrowers can be found HERE
• The application for borrowers can be found HERE

Below please find additional details about the PPP program. We will answer outstanding issues once SBA provides further guidance.

1. Program Eligibility
   1. All businesses (including farm and ranch businesses) are eligible for a PPP loan if they (1) have fewer than 500 employees; (2) meet the definition of a “small business concern”; and (3) are subject to SBA’s affiliation rules (unless those rules were specifically waived in the CARES Act).
2. Waiting on SBA to clarify the definition of “small business concern” – do not anticipate any undue restrictions.
3. Waiting on SBA to confirm whether H2A workers are counted as “employees” for the purposes of determining size.

1. 1. Financial institutions, including the Farm Credit system, will be responsible for processing loan applications and administering the loan.
2. Loan Terms
   1. Loan amounts are calculated based on the payroll costs for all employees whose “principal place of residence” is in the U.S. Please note that this definition excludes H-2A workers, which will likely reduce the loan amount available to some agricultural producers.
   2. This loan has a maturity of 2 years and an interest rate of 1%. Loan payments will be deferred for the first six months.
   3. The loan will be fully forgiven if at least 75% of the funds are used for payroll costs, and the remainder is used for interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities.

1. Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels.  Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease.

1. The best POC for questions on the Paycheck Protection Program is the Lender Relations Specialist in your local SBA Field Office.  The local SBA Field Office may be found at https://www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance/districtoffices.

While teleworking has become a routine way of doing business in many industry sectors and
government, teleworking during wide-scale public emergencies such as what we are experiencing with
the emergence of the COVID-19 virus introduces significant management, technology and bandwidth
challenges to ensuring uninterrupted and efficient workflow and provision of services to the public.
Added strain on the public telecommunications infrastructure over the “last mile” to the home, in
particular, requires critical healthcare entities to assess risk, prioritize tasks and apportion bandwidth
resources to ensure continuity of mission-essential functions that may migrate off premises to the home
office environment. Continue reading.