The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy. CEO’s research development process includes extensive technical review at the design, data collection and analysis stage, including: external contractor review and OMB review and approval of data collection methods and instruments per the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Institutional Review Board (IRB) review to ensure studies adhere to the highest ethical standards, review by academic peers (e.g., Technical Working Groups), and inputs from relevant DOL agency and program officials and CEO technical staff. Final reports undergo an additional independent expert technical review and a review for Section 508 compliance prior to publication. The resulting reports represent findings from this independent research and do not represent DOL positions or policies.

The Chief Evaluation Office is working with various DOL agencies on the studies listed below.
Project NamePurpose
Advancing Behavioral Interventions in Labor ProgramsThe purpose of the project is to advance the application of behavioral sciences - or understanding how people realistically make and act on decisions - to improve the design of public policies and programs in ways that reflect a deeper understanding of human nature.
Administrative Data Research and Analysis (ADRA)Studies undertaken under this project will analyze administrative data sets from agencies within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
America’s Promise Job-Driven Grant Program EvaluationThe purpose of this study is to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of promising and innovative practices for strengthening the pipeline of skilled workers who are prepared to gain or advance in employment in H-1B industries, and to examine program implementation including the use of various funding streams to create sector strategies and develop regional workforce partnerships.
Apprenticeship Evidence-Building PortfolioThe primary purpose of the project is to design and conduct analysis to build and expand the evidence portfolio on apprenticeships, including models, components, partnerships, and strategies.
Bridging the Gap for New Americans StudyThis study aims to better understand the New American population’s employment patterns and opportunities and associated factors such as training and education. New Americans are identified as lawfully present noncitizens who are eligible to be employed in the United States or naturalized U.S. citizens born outside the United States and outlying areas.
Career Pathways Descriptive and Analytical StudyThis project will build evidence on career pathways employment and training strategies and inform further career pathways systems and program development.
Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR) Advancement, Reviews, Innovations, and Syntheses of Evidence (ARISE)This project will conduct evidence reviews, review studies and interventions, synthesize bodies of evidence, and disseminate findings and information about the reviews on CLEAR’s website and through other means.
Department of Labor Capacity AssessmentThe assessment of the Department of Labor and its agencies will broadly address factors related to the coverage, quality, methods, effectiveness, independence, and resources of agencies’ efforts for using and producing evidence.
Employer Adoption of Voluntary Health and Safety StandardsThis study seeks to better understand voluntary consensus standards systems for safety and health management, and the characteristics of, and perceived benefits to, the employers who adopt them.
Equitable Transition Models (ETM) EvaluationThis study aims to build the evidence of strategies to enable low-income youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YAD) ages 16-24, including those experiencing homelessness, leaving foster care, or involved in the justice system, to successfully transition into the workforce.
Evaluation Technical SupportThis project will provide evaluation technical support to CEO in leveraging data and expertise to assemble knowledge and answer questions of interest to DOL.
Evidence to Action (E2A) at DOL: Portfolio Project & Process StudyThe purpose of the project is to translate, increase access to, and drive use of evidence through a set of projects, syntheses, and related activities, which will help meet Evidence Act/OMB requirements for evidence use and related needs identified in the Capacity Assessment. It will be informed by and build on existing studies and related efforts to grow the culture of evidence and evaluation at DOL, and the slate of projects and syntheses will be strongly informed by the learning agendas and emerging learning needs.
The Great Recession: Lessons Learned for the Unemployment Insurance SystemThis study will examine critical policy issues and lessons learned regarding the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system’s response to the Great Recession that began in 2007, and the economic recovery that followed.
Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Impact EvaluationThe goals for this study are to evaluate the effectiveness of Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program on participants’ employment outcomes, using the most rigorous design feasible (experimental or quasi-experimental methods); and to conduct an implementation evaluation to understand program models and variations, partnerships, and the homeless Veterans served.
Information on Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Paycheck Plus SiteThe purpose of this project is to study the impact of an enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income individuals without dependent children in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. This project will build on and leverage research being conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in its collaboration with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), on HHS’s Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Paycheck Plus site.
Job Corps Evidence-Building PortfolioThe goals for the project are to (1) develop research and evaluation framework options that will support DOL in ensuring a strategic, continuous learning process responsive to Job Corps’ evidence-building needs, and (2) evaluate innovations in Job Corps services, particularly in demonstration pilots and other service model variations.
National Worker SurveyThis survey is intended to gather data to understand the prevalence and nature of violations of workers’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with a focus on wages, pay, and hours worked, as well as other topics.
Navigator Evidence-Building PortfolioThe purpose of the project is to build the evidence base about the potential of Navigators to improve outcomes and equity in workforce programs.
Older Workers StudyThe study will evaluate the implementation of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and other select DOL workforce programs for older workers to identify future research options that address knowledge gaps.
Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development (PROWD) Grants EvaluationThe evaluation aims to establish foundational knowledge about promising reentry employment programs for people exiting federal prisons, including those pre- and post-release, and develop insights from the early implementation efforts of the First Step Act Initiative grantees.
Pathway Home Reentry EvaluationThe study aims to develop design options for an impact and implementation evaluation to assess the feasibility of conducting an impact evaluation and examine the implementation of the Pathway Home Reentry Grant program. Based on the results from the feasibility analysis, CEO plans to conduct the most rigorous impact evaluation feasible of the Pathway Home program. As part of the feasibility assessment, the evaluation will include a review of Pathway Home grants and the design of cross-site impact and implementation evaluation options to examine Pathway Home.
Pell Grant Experiments (with U.S. Department of Education)To test the impact of 1) expanding eligibility for Pell Grants to students who already have bachelor’s degrees and 2) expanding eligibility for Pell Grants to students who enroll in certain short-term vocational or career training programs on educational attainment, employment, and earnings.
Ready to Work Partnership Grants Technical Skills Training EvaluationThis project seeks to understand the implementation and effectiveness of select training and related services in the Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership grant program. It includes an implementation study to understand how the programs were designed and implemented and an impact study to measure the effectiveness of these programs in improving participants’ short and long-term outcomes.
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Evidence Building and Implementation StudyThis project will include an implementation study of the RESEA program as well as develop strategies to support the evidence requirements in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 that relate to the RESEA.
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Evidence Building Portfolio ProjectThis project will provide RESEA evaluation technical assistance and conduct evidence-building activities to support and complement states’ evaluations.
Reentry Projects Grant EvaluationThis evaluation will include an implementation and an impact study among select Reentry Employment Opportunities grantees to understand their effectiveness in achieving the goals of improving participant outcomes such as employment, earning, and recidivism.
Registered Apprenticeship Initiatives EvaluationThe purpose of the study is to evaluate strategies implemented under the Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) grants and conduct an impact and cost-benefit evaluability assessments of pre-apprenticeships programs that lead to registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs).
Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness  Network (RETAIN) Impact EvaluationThe impact evaluation aims to assess the effectiveness of intervention strategies from RETAIN demonstration projects in Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont.
Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio (SSEEP)This Portfolio’s objectives are to build evidence on how sectoral strategies can engage employers, promote job quality, and diversify and support the workforce, especially from populations that have historically been excluded from high quality jobs.
Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC) Training Grants StudyThe implementation study and impact evaluability assessment aim to understand the implementation of SCC grantees—community college-based workforce development and career pathways programs in partnership with local employers—as they address disparities in workforce outcomes and build institutional capacity. Further, the purpose of the impact evaluation assessment is to identify SCC grantee programs that are primed for more rigorous effectiveness research.
Support to Communities Grant Program EvaluationThe implementation study aims to provide new and critical information on promising practices and implementation challenges in providing services that address both employment and treatment needs for those with opioid use disorders (OUDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs).
TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI)The purpose of this study is to identify effective approaches for preparing workers for middle- and high-skilled jobs in H-1B industries, with specific focus on individuals who have traditionally faced barriers to training and employment opportunities including youth and young adults, parents with childcare needs, individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with criminal records.
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Study: Behavioral Interventions Evaluation and Design Options for Long-Term TAA EvaluationThis project will test the application of a behavioral intervention in improving the administration of the TAA program, as well as develop evaluation design options for a rigorous long-term impact evaluation of the TAA program.
VETS Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot EvaluationThe implementation and outcomes study aims to understand and build evidence on the use of VETS employment navigators to improve outcomes for transitioning service members (TSMs) and military spouses.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) EvaluationThis project is an implementation study intent on better understanding WOTC, including how it is administered by state workforce agencies, how it serves job seekers and employers, the effectiveness and efficiency of its current design, potential improvements in structure and operations, and potential future research in this area.
Workers’ Compensation and the Opioid Epidemic: Analysis and Research Design OptionsThe study will analyze existing evidence and identify innovative interventions and initiatives that may be relevant to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) client/customer population, and will develop research and evaluation design options for generating new evidence in the field.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Research Portfolio ProjectThe project is generating a wide range of short and long-term research options for the Department of Labor to consider as it seeks to strategically build rigorous evidence to support the continuous improvement of the Employment and Training Administration’s programs and services.