A Scan of Key Trends in the Labor Market and Workforce Development System. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Research Portfolio

Mathematica. P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543. Tel: 609-799-3535; Fax: 609-799-0005; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://www.mathematica.org

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31

1605DC18A0020

Labor Legislation; Federal Legislation; Labor Force Development; Program Evaluation; Program Effectiveness; Information Technology; Self Employment; Employment Patterns; Trend Analysis; Public Policy; Labor Force; Economic Factors; Salaries; Change; Industry; Automation; Unemployment; Labor Market; Income; Technological Advancement; Online Courses; Distance Education; Delivery Systems; Accountability; Job Search Methods; Videoconferencing; COVID-19; Occupations; Work Environment; Policy Analysis; Federal Aid; Pandemics

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 2014; Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act 2020; Families First Coronavirus Response Act 2020

Enacted in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was designed to increase collaboration among workforce systems at the federal, state, and local levels to integrate the array of programs and services available to job seekers and businesses through American Job Centers (AJCs). WIOA requires the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to conduct periodic, independent evaluations to inform the effective operation of WIOA programs. To support the development of DOL's research portfolio, this scan describes recent and long-term economic and policy developments with relevance for the public workforce system. The scan focuses primarily on topics and trends related to the changing world of work and their implications for the public workforce system. In consultation with DOL's Chief Evaluation Office and Employment and Training Administration (ETA), along with other stakeholders, the following topics were selected: (1) broad economic trends and recent changes in employment and wages; (2) changes to industries and occupations due to technology, automation, and the rise of the gig economy; (3) growth in remote workforce system services; and (4) federal policy trends related to the public workforce system. The report concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of these topics for the public workforce system. This research evidence scan is one of a pair of reports developed as part of DOL's WIOA Research Portfolio project. [For the companion report, "A Research Evidence Scan of Key Strategies Related to WIOA. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Research Portfolio," see ED614830.]

ERIC

2021

ED614790