States are permitted to provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) to individuals who are self-employed, seeking part-time employment, or who otherwise would not qualify for regular unemployment compensation. While UI and PUA both offer financial assistance to workers who are out of work or have less work, PUA has specific restrictions

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — ICF International said it will support local disaster recovery efforts by implementing a workforce development program aimed at training Virgin Islanders for opportunities in hospitality, health care, information technology and other high-demand sectors, ExecutiveBiz reported recently. The company’s work as project manager for the Skills for Today initiative is part

CHRISTIANSTED — The Bryan-Roach Administration was caught off guard Monday by the harsh suddenness, labor fallout and economic reality of September’s planned shutdown of the Limetree Bay refinery on St. Croix. Governor Albert Bryan did not say that he was given a courtesy call in advance of the Limetree Bay

CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Albert Bryan issued the following statement concerning Limetree Bay RefInery’s announcement to suspend the restart of refinery operations and lay off 271 employees: “Our administration continues to maintain its position of supporting a restart in refinery operations that fully considers the health and safety of St. Croix

CHRISTIANSTED — Limetree Bay oil refinery on St. Croix announced today that it will remain shut down “indefinitely” after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered it to halt operations in May. In a statement today, Limetree Bay Energy said it has failed to find the necessary capital to restart the Limetree

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Virgin Islands is the only jurisdiction in the United States to not meet its outstanding Unemployment Insurance (UI) loan obligation to the U.S. Department of Labor. Because the Virgin Islands Department of Labor failed to make a critical USDOL payment

CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Albert Bryan said today he is closing all nightclubs — effective 5 p.m. on Thursday — in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 cases in the territory.  Bryan also said that all bars will be closed from Christmas Day until at least January 8 — at

FREDERIKSTED — Thirteen Virgin Islanders are ready for careers in the hospitality industry as graduates of the Diageo USVI Learning Skills for Life Program. Six St. Thomas students and seven on St. Croix completed the course and graduated recently. Diageo USVI, in conjunction with UVI CELL, offered the free five-week

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Ticket to Work (TTW) program, a national program that provides job services to people who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) continues its services to residents of the Virgin Islands. The jobs services are provided by AMSI, an Employment Network and nonprofit organization based in Puerto

CHRISTIANSTED — During his weekly COVID-19 press briefing, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced he is easing some of the restrictions in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the territory. His announcement comes after the U.S. Virgin Islands’ rate of positivity for the virus had decreased significantly.  Effective immediately, churches