Contributors: Nayib Mejia, Ian Page, Kevin Reuss, Zoë Zemper
Editor: Kyle DeMaria
Email Trendlines at: ETA-Trendlines@dol.gov
Introducing the State Workforce Services Dashboards
At American Job Centers across the country, job seekers can access vital employment and training services. They can prepare resumes, receive individualized career counseling, and get connected to job training opportunities. These services are funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and help create employment connections for people from a wide range of backgrounds, including people who have not completed a high school education, are employed in low-wage jobs, have a disability, were justice involved, or are veterans returning to civilian life.
In this edition of Trendlines, we feature the State Workforce Services Dashboards — a new tool that provides information on disparities in service access and outcomes for participants in WIOA Title I (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth) and Title III (Wagner-Peyser) programs. Developed by the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Policy Development and Research (OPDR), the Dashboards help equip state and local workforce staff with data they can use to understand the reach and success of their programs. This edition of Trendlines features figures from the Dashboards using national data for the WIOA Adult program. The full set of Dashboards are now available online for all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico.
ETA Workforce Data Hub
In April, ETA launched a new webpage: the ETA Workforce Data Hub. This webpage is designed to provide easy access to data and statistics related to employment and training in the United States. Presently, the page includes curated employment metrics and links to the ETA Data Inventory, the State Workforce Services Dashboards, and Trendlines.
Demographics of the WIOA Adult Program
Black and Hispanic/Latino participants made up an outsized share of participants in the WIOA Adult program. For example, while Black women and men were each 6% of the US population aged 18 or older, they represented 18% and 15% of WIOA Adult program participants in PY2022, respectively.
Composition of population and WIOA Adult program participants by demographic group
Sources: analysis of WIOA Individual Performance Records (PY2022) and American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (2018–2022)
Enrollment in Individualized and Training Services
WIOA Adult program exiters in PY2022 were more likely to receive individualized career services (e.g., one-on-one career counseling) than training services (e.g., an Individual Training Account that pays for a forklift operation certification). Still, more than a third (33%–43%) of WIOA Adult program exiters received training services. There was little variation by sex in the share receiving training services. Black women (42%) and Black men (43%) were the most likely to receive training services. However, Hispanic/Latino men (39%) were somewhat more likely to receive training than Hispanic/Latina women (33%).
Percent of WIOA Adult participants receiving individualized career and training services
Source: analysis of WIOA Individual Performance Records (PY2022)
WIOA Service Levels and Employment Outcomes
WIOA Adult program participants who received higher levels of service were more likely to have employment by the 2nd quarter after exit. For example, the employment rate for Hispanic/Latino participants rose from 65% for those receiving basic services to 79% for those receiving training services. Across all racial groups, employment rates post-exit improved as participants accessed higher levels of career services.
Employment rate second quarter after exit by highest level of service
Source: analysis of WIOA Individual Performance Records (PY2022)
WIOA Service Levels and Median Earnings
The relationship between service level and earnings is more nuanced. Across all demographic groups, individuals who received training services had higher median earnings after exit than participants who received either basic or individualized career services. However, the relationship between basic and individualized career services is less clear. Overall, Black participants had lower median earnings than Asian, White, and Hispanic/Latino participants across all service levels.
Median earnings second quarter after exit by highest level of service
Source: analysis of WIOA Individual Performance Records (PY2022)
Labor Market Metrics
