The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: The Role of Workforce Programs

4 Wagner-Peyser Employment Services

99 4 Wagner-Peyser Employment Services Joyce Kaiser Capital Research Corporation BACKGROUND The Wagner-Peyser (W-P) Act of 1933 established the Employment Service (ES), sometimes called the Job Service, which provides labor exchange services for workers and employers.As One-Stop Career Centers have become more established, in many states the Wagner-Peyser funded staff is no longer identified as the Employment Service, but simply as workforce staff whose job is to assist One-Stop customers. Services for workers include job search assistance, placement assistance, job fairs, and labor market information. Services for employers include labor market information, employee recruitment, job fairs, development of job descriptions, and assistance during layoffs and closings. The Wagner-Peyser Employment Service (W-P ES) program traditionally has funded job search assistance for UI claimants, and it serves migrant and seasonal farm workers, youth, individuals with disabilities, ex-offenders, older workers, and other special populations. In 1998, the act was amended to make the W-P ES part of the One-Stop delivery system , with the objective of having all workforce development activities easily accessible and often in the same location (USDOL 2010). Prior to enactment of the Recovery Act, the W-P ES functions had steadily diminished because of sustained periods of federal funding cuts and static state funding. The ability of the staff funded by W-P to provide one-on-one assistance to all job seekers had all but disappeared in the early 1980s. To continue to serve job seekers, innovative modes of service delivery were developed. Today there are resource rooms for self-directed services, allowing customers to use computers with Inter- 100 Kaiser net access for reviewing job listings, developing résumés, and researching labor market information for any area in the country. In cases where customers are less skilled in the use of Internet tools, a second level of service includes the assistance of a resource room attendant. Oneon -one services are available to customers needing an assessment of skills, abilities, and aptitudes, as well as career guidance or counseling if a career change is being considered. In addition to these kinds of services, many W-P ES offices and One-Stop Career Centers with W-P ES services offer workshops where job search techniques are discussed or where résumé preparation assistance is provided. Customers seeking job training are often scheduled into workshops where different training programs are discussed and eligibility requirements are explained. OPERATING POLICIES AND CHANGES AS A RESULT OF THE RECOVERY ACT General Operational Structure State agencies administer W-P ES services, and those services are provided by state employees in all but two states in the study, Colorado and Michigan, which operate demonstrations approved by the USDOL that allow nonstate public employees to deliver W-P ES services at the local level. The majority of study states have all W-P ES services integrated into their One-Stop systems. Of the 20 states visited, 13 had no separate W-P ES offices, and all services were delivered in a One-Stop setting. One-Stops in several of these states were managed by the W-P ES, with WIA as a partner. In the remaining seven states, there were some with stand-alone W-P ES offices, but all of these states have OneStop operations with W-P ES, WIA, TAA, and other mandatory partner workforce development programs under one roof in at least one OneStop Career Center in each local workforce investment area, as required by the WIA statute. Colorado and Michigan have longstanding demonstrations in which W-P ES staff are not required to be state employees. Under the demonstration rules, W-P ES staff can be employees of local public agencies such as local education authorities, county or city government, or com- Wagner-Peyser Employment Services 101 munity colleges. In addition to providing W-P ES services (including staffing of One-Stop resource rooms), staff in these states are responsible for providing direct customer services under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Reemployment Services (RES) programs. With the advent of the RecoveryAct, no states reported any changes to their existing W-P ES service delivery structure. However, several states (e.g., Arizona, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia) opened new offices with Recovery Act funds to accommodate increased need. Other states opened some temporary satellite operations. There were no changes in services offered in these new locations, but because of...