🔒A Q&A with Jeanne Paquette, the state’s new Dept. of Labor boss

Jeanne Paquette, the newly appointed Maine Commissioner of Labor, has a formidable background in the private sector.

A New Jersey native, Paquette spent more than 20 years in human resources management, where she specialized in training and management development. That experience formed the foundation to launch her own businesses, the publications the Employment Times and HR Times, which focused on HR-related news, and to create MyJobWave.com, a job placement website.

While a publisher, she recalls getting a visit from a DOL wage and hour division officer. Although her company's payroll records passed muster, she remembers the fear she felt over his visit. She conveyed her concerns to the inspector and from that was borne a series of lunch-and-learns for employers to demystify the DOL.

"It's sort of what I hope to do now as commissioner — change the image of the DOL," she says. "It's not all about enforcement, but the services we offer, as well."

Mainebiz chatted recently with Paquette. The following is an edited transcript.

Mainebiz: You have a lot of experience in the private sector. How will that affect your position as labor commissioner?

Paquette: As a human resource professional and past business owner, I was responsible for applying and complying with the rules and regulations of MDOL. Being a real-world 'customer' of MDOL gives me an important perspective that I bring into the department, and this will help us work on balancing the needs of businesses while protecting the rights of employees. We want to be partners with the business community by giving them the answers to the test before we give them test — educating businesses improves compliance, which benefits everybody. For example, we've created an employer resource booklet that we gave out at HR Day at DOL back in June. It is now provided to DECD's account executives so that when they visit businesses, they can promote the services MDOL offers.

What is the most effective strategy for creating jobs?

I believe we need to empower the private sector to create jobs. This means clearing paths of red tape and making rules and regulations clear, consistent and fair. For example, take the confusion around the misclassification of workers that was clarified in legislation last session and goes into effect in January. If an employer doesn't know whether to hire an employee or to contract with an independent contractor, they might just delay the hire, or, in the worst case, they make the wrong choice and end up in trouble with unemployment or workers' comp. With so many regulations to deal with, employers can get overwhelmed. So we need to help businesses understand what the law means for them, and listen when they make suggestions about improving the laws we have.

The DOL is responsible for a range of services, from unemployment to work force development to safety. Are there any particular areas of emphasis you expect to bring as commissioner?

The work force development piece is the one systemic change we are pushing. Since the work force development system is almost 100% federally funded, it is imperative that we make sure those dollars get the biggest bang for the buck. The current system is one that needs modernization, requires a reduction in administrative overhead and should be using accountability metrics that measure the right things that prove we're getting a return on taxpayers' investments while training citizens with the skills needed for the jobs that are in demand. n