Workers Comp Job Finding Blog

Online Job Postings Up 255,000 in December

Well, it is nice to post something positive in 2010 about potential return to work possibilities.  National Job Finders does not use online job postings to find open positions for injured workers, but I watch this as an indicator of hiring overall.  This bodes well for the potential openings we can locate for injured workers with restrictions as well. Afterall, only a very few open positions are actually advertised anywhere, over 80% are not.  

If you would like to look into this information in more detail, please visit the link below to see information on a particular state or industry. I note that Michigan, the state where we do much of our workers compensation job finding is still struggling.  Though the postings are up, they have not caught up with the loss they suffered in Nov.  Despite these discouraging numbers, we have consistently been able to successfully find open, suitable, and acceptable positions for the injured worker cases in Michigan and elsewhere.

Also available at this link is a specific look at the posted jobs in relation to the number of unemployed in that industry.  Here we see that there are more jobs posted than unemployed in the healthcare industry and computer & mathematical science.  In all others, this is not the case.  

The transportation and material moving industry shows the highest ratio of unemployed to open positions at 13 unemployed per posted position.  This is one of the industries from which we see most of our job finding cases.  Others are manufacturing and construction.

 

www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedOnline.cfm.

 

 

Employer Has No Return to Work Program, or light duty? No Problem

Sometimes an employer has no return to work program and cannot or will not provide light or modified duty positions for injured workers, or those out on workers compensation. 

You have a few options, it is up to the case manager to determine which is appropriate or effective in each case.

Volunteer or charity jobs- insurer still pays wage-loss benefits
Training programs- insurer still pays wage-loss benefits
Work at home -in many cases not accepted as true "employment".
Employment positions with new employer

Light duty or transitional duty:  Many companies do not have light duty positions available.  Especially companies in Construction, transportation, manufacturing and the like.  Many of these companies do not have office staff employed or an office at all for that matter.

Lets look at each option:

Volunteer or charity work.  
In most cases, it is best for the injured worker and the employer to get them back to work as soon as possible. It helps the injured worker mentally and physically and helps to keep cases from being strung out longer than necessary.  Oftentimes, volunteer or charity work is useful in keeping a worker in the workforce, though oftentimes the employer is still required to pay all or some of the wages for the injured employee.

Training Programs.
Training programs are another viable option for some cases.  If the employee is unable to attain equivalent income in another field with the skills they have, this may be necessary to get them into a position where they can earn at the level they were pre-injury.  For example, a trucker with incomplete high school education that has been doing that one job for 35 years and is now unable to, may be a good candidate for some sort of training.  As, his current skills and education preclude him from many positions.  This is a good option, and voc rehab is mandatory in some states. It is a good way to increase the employability of an injured worker. But, it does cost, and does not guarantee that the person will be better able to find a job. It also does not mean they will use the training to their benefit.  They will still need to aggressively and consistently look for work.  

Work at home.
Recently, I have seen the emergence of companies offering a combination of training to work at home and guaranteed position after training.  This is especially useful if someone has a severe permanent restriction that precludes them from commuting or driving to an office, or place of work.  On the other hand, many work at home positions are not considered true employment. You have to look at these prospects very carefully and make sure that such employment will be viewed as a true position if you go this route. Again, the training for this type of position can obligate the employer to pay for hundreds of hours of training, sometimes almost a year with no relief from indemnity payments (wage loss benefits) and , sometimes the added cost of the training for that same period. Yet, if this person is generally unemployable, this may be your only available course of action, and could save you substantially in the end.

Job Finding (National Job Finders Services)
Re-employment with a new employer ends (or at least immediately reduces) wage-loss or indemnity payments.  Workers Comp claimaints, in most states,  are required to look for and accept employment that is within their restrictions. This is the quickest and most effective way to end wage-loss benefits.  If you can find open positions that are appropriate geographically, financially and physically for injured workers, you can place the claimant or prove non-compliance if they do not participate in the search for new employment.  Usually, 4-5 interviews is enough to prove non-compliance.

Interesting Insurance Journal Article

I just read this article on insurancejournal.com and found it is worth recommending to my readers.

Injury Severity, Not Legal Fees, Drives Workers Comp Costs in Illinois

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2009/12/07/105760.htm

What attracted me to this article is that I was specifically researching the number of injured workers or percentage of employees that are out on workers comp in different industries and in different states. It turns out, those in the industry do not have those numbers readily available. But, I think that it is worth looking into for your own education and future planning.  Especially considering the example shown in this article. 

"For every 100 illinois construction worker there are 1.21 injuries per year."  I also read recently that the average age of a construction worker is 44, up from 40 a few years earlier. This is probably due to the fact that people are staying in the workforce longer, retiring later.  

In addition, at least in illinois, the construction workforce is projected to increase in different sectors anywhere from 10-15 percent in 2010.  So, one would assume, there will be an increase of workers compensation claims that go along with that. 

Construction injuries, according to the insurancejournal are usually extremity injuries or back injuries. From my experience, most of the construction cases we handle are back injuries and/or rotator cuff.  These cases are the most expensive, because they go on for a long time.  Also, they are more difficult to place and require dedication and special attention.   Often, construction companies do not offer light or modified duty because they have no where to place the injured workers.  

This is also true of manufacturing and transportation companies among others.  My suggestions is that you take the time to find out what percentage of your workforce is out of workers compensation to get a handle on how much it is really costing you. 

You may even want to plug it into the free "Sales to pay for Accidents" calculator on reduceyourworkerscomp.com 

http://reduceyourworkerscomp.com/calculator.php

 

referenced article: http://ibjonline.com/print_swillinois_construction_workforce.html

 

I would like to invite people to participate in our poll

 What percentage of your employees are out on workers comp?  

 Please take the time to participate in our poll (survey)  You may be interested in and surprised by the results.

I also invite you to share and comment as well.

http://www.nationaljobfinders.com/poll-question/ or click here