The 1990 Department of Labor Survey of Workplace Literacy assessed the workplace literacy levels of eligible applicants for JTPA training and of jobseekers in the Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance programs. Using the survey data, which included workplace literacy proficiency scores and data concerning various socio-economic and personal characteristics of the respondents, this study analyzed the relationship between the workplace literacy and labor market performance of the unemployed workers in these programs on one hand and the determinants of workplace literacy on the other.