The Public Employment Service: The United States

Description

Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. The American Labour Market and Basic PES Structure A. Labour market overview 1. Introduction 2. Population and labour force Table 2.1. Population and labour force levels, 1997 3. Trends in employment/population ratios Table 2.2. Labour force developments Table 2.3. Labour force developments by educational attainment and gender 4. Job tenure and precarious employment B. The structure of unemployment Chart 2.1. Unemployment and unemployment beneficiaries, 1980-1997 Table 2.4. Duration of unemployment, selected years 1. Unemployment by population group Table 2.5. Unemployment rates for selected demographic groups and years 2. Lay-offs and worker dislocation C. Earnings and income 1. Recent earnings experience Table 2.6. Average annual pay, constant 1996 US dollars Chart 2.2. Nominal (current US$) and real (1996 US$) minimum wage Table 2.7. Minimum wage relative to earnings and pay, comparison with selected OECD countries,... 2. Earnings inequality and mobility Table 2.8. Trends in earnings dispersion, 1979-1995 Chart 2.3. Incidence of low hourly earnings, by gender Chart 2.4. Incidence of low hourly pay, by level of educational attainment 3. Incomes and poverty Table 2.9. Median annual money income by demographic group Table 2.10. Percentage of the population in poverty D. Employment protection E. The origins of the public employment service in the US 1. Labour exchange and labour market programmes 2. Unemployment insurance 3. Public assistance F. Key labour market policy institutions and actors G. US Department of Labor and the state employment security agencies 1. US Department of Labor Chart 2.5. Main actors in employment service and unemployment insurance policy implementation: flow of requirements 2. State employment security agencies 3. Local-level service provision Chart 2.6. Distribution of PES local office types in the United States H. Staffing Table 2.11. Estimated labour market programme staff by funding source, Programme Year (PY) 1997 Table 2.12. Public employment service and related agencies: office structure and staff, 1997 Table 2.13. Indicators of PES staff workload I. Funding the PES system J. Key programmes and benefit schemes Table 2.14. Selected federal assistance and support measures for individuals and families... Annex 2A. Selected FUTA and Social Security Act Requirements for Participating States Requirements for employer tax credits Requirements for administrative grants Chapter 3. Unemployment Insurance in the United States: Regular and Extended Benefits A. Unemployment insurance Chart 3.1. Major financial flows in the United States - Unemployment Insurance System B. Basic aspects of funding unemployment insurance Table 3.1. Financial condition of unemployment trust fund reserve accounts C. UI tax rates and experience rating Table 3.2. Unemployment payroll tax bases and rates, 1996 D. Coverage and eligibility under UI 1. Extent of UI coverage 2. Eligibility criteria for unemployment insurance 3. Monetary criteria Table 3.3. Unemployment benefits: minimum qualifying earnings and work experience, 1996 4. Non-monetary criteria E. Disqualifications, denials and adjudication issues 1. Disqualifications and denials Table 3.4. Disqualifications of monetarily-eligible initial UI claims, 1995 Table 3.5. Disqualifications of UI claims for non-separation issues, 1994 2. The adjudication process F. UI benefit duration and levels 1. UI benefit duration 2. UI benefit levels Table 3.6. State minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts (WBA) and duration limits... G. Trends in receipt of UI benefits H. Fraud control and performance monitoring I. Recent innovations in the UIS system Box 3.1. UI call centres in Wisconsin Chapter 4. Job-broking and the Development of One-stop Centres A. Quantitative indicators of job-broking activities Table 4.1. PES activity: international comparisons of basic flows Chart 4.1. Registered job-seeker inflows, 1986-1996 Chart 4.2. Notified vacancies, entered employment and placements, 1987-1997 Table 4.2. Basic flows, stocks and market share indicators, PY1995-PY1996 (July 1995-June 1997) Table 4.3. Methods of job search by the unemployed B. Job-broking and employment policy C. Federally-led initiatives to improve the employment service 1. ES revitalisation 2. ES information resources 3. The development of onestop centres D. Implementation of one-stop concepts: the cases of Connecticut and Wisconsin 1. Connecticut Works 2. Partnership for Full Employment E. Staffing issues Table 4.4. Hartford, Connecticut, one-stop career centre staff according to principal... Table 4.5. Racine County, Wisconsin, workforce development centre staff according... F. Job-seeker registration, counselling and access to services Box 4.1 The Hartford one-stop centre: job-seeker inflows G. Vacancy registration H. Job matching I. Employer outreach 1. Introduction 2. Employer services: The case of the Racine County Workforce Development Center J. Vocational guidance and special services 1. Vocational guidance 2. Services for veterans and disabled persons K. Performance measures for one-stop centres Table 4.6. Workforce development system (WDS) performance measures initiative: menu... Table 4.7. Connecticut one-stop performance report indicators L. Private placement agencies Chapter 5. Profiling Unemployed Job-seekers: Identifying those At-risk of Long-term Unemployment... A. Introduction B. Profiling procedures in the United States C. Profiling in Connecticut and Wisconsin Chart 5.1. The profiling process in Connecticut and Wisconsin D. How does profiling work in practice? 1. Services provided Table 5.1. Profiling services in Connecticut, Wisconsin and the United States, 1997 2. Sanctions arising from non-participation in the profiling process E. How do profiled job-seekers fare in the labour market? Table 5.2. Profiling outcomes in Connecticut and Wisconsin F. Improving the performance of profiling: key issues that must be addressed 1. Resources 2. Early intervention and the services offered 3. Model and data issues with respect to profiling 4. Accounting for former welfare clients Chapter 6. Employment and Training Programmes A. Introduction B. Overview of spending and participation in active labour market programmes (ALMPs) Table 6.1. Public expenditures and participant inflows in labour market programmes Table 6.2. Public expenditures and participant inflows in US labour market programmes, 1996-97 C. The administrative context of ALMPs D. The Job Training Partnership Act Box 6.1. Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Table 6.3. Federal JTPA guidelines for Title II and III programmes 1. How is JTPA administered and funded? 2. Co-ordination and delivery structure 3. JTPA funding Table 6.4. JTPA funding, 1985 to 1997 4. How do individuals enter JTPA in Connecticut and Wisconsin? 5. The interaction between benefits and programmes 6. The training market and the role of contracting out 7. Performance standards Table 6.5. Federal JTPA performance standards for the 1995 programme year Box 6.2. Federal and state government and SDA roles in setting performance standards E. Participation and outcomes from JTPA in programme year 1995 1. Outcomes for adult participants in JTPA Table 6.6. JTPA outcomes, programme year 1995 2. Outcomes for youth participants in JTPA F. How well does JTPA work: evidence from evaluations 1. Evaluations of the impact on employment and earnings 2. Evaluations of the impact of performance standards G. Other training programmes for adults 1. Programmes for employed workers 2. Trade adjustment assistance H. Other youth programmes 1. Apprenticeships Table 6.7. Apprentices in Connecticut and Wisconsin, 1994 to 1998 2. School-to-work initiatives 3. Job Corps I. Wage subsidy programmes Table 6.8. Work Opportunity Tax Credit certifications by selected worker groups, 1997 Chapter 7. Welfare Reform in Connecticut and Wisconsin A. Introduction B. Welfare reform initiatives Box 7.1. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Table 7.1. Main differences between AFDC and PRWORA 1. Why reform welfare? Chart 7.1. AFDC, Food Stamp and Medicaid expenditures as a percentage of GDP, and AFDC recipients as a percentage... 2. History of welfare reform C. Welfare programmes in Connecticut and Wisconsin 1. Access to welfare programmes 2. Welfare in Wisconsin: Wisconsin Works (W2) Table 7.2. Main elements of the Wisconsin Works programme Table 7.3. Comparison of Jobs First and W-2 3. Welfare in Connecticut: Jobs First 4. Main differences between Connecticut and Wisconsin state plans 5. The status of the Jobs First and W2 caseloads Table 7.4. W-2 programme participants and support services, Wisconsin, January 1998 Table 7.5. Jobs First caseload, August 1997, Connecticut Table 7.6. Payments under selected W-2 options relative to AFDC Table 7.7. State grants for TANF, child-care and welfare-to-work 6. Additional assistance: Welfare-to-Work grants (WtW) Table 7.8. Participant eligibility requirements for Welfare-to-Work grants D. Issues and challenges under welfare reform 1. Leaving welfare: permanent jobs or a return to welfare? 2. What will happen in a downturn? 3. Work first and learn later? 4. Can the new programmes be effectively evaluated? 5. Cost shifting 6. Access to support services Table 7.9. Child-care arrangements in Connecticut and Wisconsin Annex 7A. Performance Bonuses under TANF Annex 7B. Wisconsin Welfare Reform Chronology Chapter 8. Conclusions A. Introduction B. Unemployment Insurance C. The labour exchange function and one-stop centres D. Profiling E. Employment and training programmes F. Welfare reform Notes Glossary Bibliography List of boxes Box 3.1. UI call centres in Wisconsin Box 4.1 The Hartford one-stop centre: job-seeker inflows Box 6.1. Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Box 6.2. Federal and state government and SDA roles in setting performance standards Box 7.1. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) List of tables Table 2.1. Population and labour force levels, 1997 Table 2.2. Labour force developments Table 2.3. Labour force developments by educational attainment and gender Table 2.4. Duration of unemployment, selected years Table 2.5. Unemployment rates for selected demographic groups and years Table 2.6. Average annual pay, constant 1996 US dollars Table 2.7. Minimum wage relative to earnings and pay, comparison with selected OECD countries, mid-1997 Table 2.8. Trends in earnings dispersion, 1979-1995 Table 2.9. Median annual money income by demographic group Table 2.10. Percentage of the population in poverty Table 2.11. Estimated labour market programme staff by funding source, Programme Year (PY) 1997 Table 2.12. Public employment service and related agencies: office structure and staff, 1997 Table 2.13. Indicators of PES staff workload Table 2.14. Selected federal assistance and support measures for individuals and families, United States, 1996 Table 3.1. Financial condition of unemployment trust fund reserve accounts Table 3.2. Unemployment payroll tax bases and rates, 1996 Table 3.3. Unemployment benefits: minimum qualifying earnings and work experience, 1996 Table 3.4. Disqualifications of monetarily-eligible initial UI claims, 1995 Table 3.5. Disqualifications of UI claims for non-separation issues, 1994 Table 3.6. State minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts (WBA) and duration limits, total unemployment... Table 4.1. PES activity: international comparisons of basic flows Table 4.2. Basic flows, stocks and market share indicators, PY1995- PY1996 (July 1995-June 1997) Table 4.3. Methods of job search by the unemployed Table 4.4. Hartford, Connecticut, one-stop career centre staff according to principal funding source and employer Table 4.5. Racine County, Wisconsin, workforce development centre staff according to principal funding source and employer Table 4.6. Workforce development system (WDS) performance measures initiative : menu of core measures for voluntary use... Table 4.7. Connecticut one-stop performance report indicators Table 5.1. Profiling services in Connecticut, Wisconsin and the United States, 1997 Table 5.2. Profiling outcomes in Connecticut and Wisconsin Table 6. 1. Public expenditures and participant inflows in labour market programmes Table 6.2. Public expenditures and participant inflows in US labour market programmes, 1996-97 Table 6.3. Federal JTPA guidelines for Title II and III programmes Table 6.4. JTPA funding, 1985 to 1997 Table 6.5. Federal JTPA performance standards for the 1995 programme year Table 6.6. JTPA outcomes, programme year 1995 Table 6.7. Apprentices in Connecticut and Wisconsin, 1994 to 1998 Table 6.8. Work Opportunity Tax Credit certifications by selected worker groups, 1997 Table 7.1. Main differences between AFDC and PRWORA Table 7.2. Main elements of the Wisconsin Works programme Table 7.3. Comparison of Jobs First and W-2 Table 7.4. W-2 programme participants and support services, Wisconsin, January 1998 Table 7.5. Jobs First caseload, August 1997, Connecticut Table 7.6. Payments under selected W-2 options relative to AFDC Table 7.7. State grants for TANF, child-care and welfare-to-work Table 7.8. Participant eligibility requirements for Welfare-to-Work grants Table 7.9. Child-care arrangements in Connecticut and Wisconsin List of charts Chart 2.1. Unemployment and unemployment beneficiaries, 1980-1997 Chart 2.2. Nominal (current US$) and real (1996 US$) minimum wage Chart 2.3. Incidence of low hourly earnings, by gender Chart 2.4. Incidence of low hourly pay, by level of educational attainment Chart 2.5. Main actors in service and unemployment insurance policy implementation: flow of requirements Chart 2.6. Distribution of PES local office types in the United States Chart 3.1. Major financial flows in the United States - Unemployment Insurance System Chart 4.1. Registered job-seeker inflows, 1986-1996 Chart 4.2. Notified vacancies, entered employment and placements, 1987-1997 Chart 5.1. The profiling process in Connecticut and Wisconsin Chart 7.1. AFDC, Food Stamp and Medicaid expenditures as a percentage of GDP, and AFDC recipients as a percentage...