CEO Library

This brief provides recommendations for implementing administrative data collection practices that support the research needs of federal departments and agencies. The brief describes the process and feasibility of using administrative data to conduct an implementation study of the National Construction Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Pilot (NCSP).

This report defines and describes strategies for funders to reach underserved and marginalized communities, as well as incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) principles in international grantmaking. The report provides emerging practices that increase the incorporation of underserved and marginalized communities throughout the grantmaking process, including the preaward and application stages, project design and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

This brief presents findings from the exploratory study to examine the feasibility of implementing a Unemployment Insurance (UI) program in Guam. It identifies factors relevant to UI program implementation in Guam and describes five potential UI program design options, specifying how the factors would work for Guam depending on program design option.

Technical appendix to Exploring Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program Options for Guam: Options Brief. The appendix describes the exploratory study in depth, identifying the research questions, methodology, and limitations as well presents the data analyzed that support the information provided in the brief it supplements.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and commissioned contractor Westat Insight to conduct a study to explore approaches to measure and increase equity in ETA’s discretionary grantmaking programs. This study sought to explore how grantmakers – such as Federal agencies, State and local government agencies, and philanthropic organizations – define, assess, and increase equity in their grantmaking process.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to fund contractor Westat Insight to explore approaches to measure and increase equity in ETA’s discretionary grantmaking programs under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) funded contractor Westat Insight to conduct the Vulnerable Populations Study to highlight examples of analyses that researchers and policymakers can conduct using publicly available population surveys. This report underscores the value of leveraging publicly available survey data to analyze the changing demographic landscapes of populations impacted by labor policies and programs.

The 2024 Veteran Employment Data Catalog is a document-based catalog of existing datasets that could be used to answer research questions related to veterans’ employment outcomes. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) collaborated with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS) to commission Insight Policy Research (now Westat) to identify both public and restricted datasets that align with topic areas derived from VETS’ mission.

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Veteran Employment and Training Service (VETS) to fund contractor Westat to conduct the 2024 Veteran Employment Data Catalog under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies. The data catalog aims to assist researchers by identifying existing public and restricted datasets related to the post-separation civilian transition, racial equity, and support for underserved veteran communities.

In 2022, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) funded contractor Westat Insight (formerly Insight Policy Research) to conduct the Vulnerable Populations Study. Using secondary data analysis, this study aims to demonstrate the value of leveraging publicly available survey data to analyze the changing demographic landscapes of vulnerable populations impacted by labor policies and programs.

The Chief Evaluation Office of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL CEO) is committed to using innovative tools to meet the Department’s research, evaluation, and data analytics needs. In December 2021, DOL CEO commissioned the Westat Insight and American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) study team to explore potential opportunities to use machine learning methods to facilitate the automated data collection of labor-relevant data.

The report synthesizes findings from third-party evaluator (TPE)-conducted implementation evaluations and subsequent interim reports, supplemented by submitted quarterly narrative reports (QNRs) from March 2023. The synthesis aims to provide an overarching description of the first round of SCC (SCC1) grantees’ progress in implementing their workforce development and career pathways programming and highlight promising practices, implementation barriers, and lessons learned across the grantees.

The Navajo Nation Research Brief of the Black Lung Incidence Study identifies the current state of knowledge on black lung disease as it relates to coal mining and residential coal use in the Navajo Nation. It identifies prevalence rates in the U.S. counties that overlap with the Navajo Nation borders, estimates prevalence rates in those counties, and discusses data limitations specific to the Navajo Nation.

The report presents the findings of a literature review ad quantitative analysis conducted under the Black Lung Incidence Study. The study was designed to examine black lung incidence in the United States, exploring both cases and deaths. Within this scope, the study examined whether black lung incidence is higher among specific subpopulations of interest, including miners, mining communities, the Navajo Nation, and residents of Appalachia.

One component of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA’s) mission to “prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners” is protecting coal miners and coal mining communities from black lung disease (“Mission”). In support of that mission, the literature review expands the U.S.

Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) benefit both apprentices and employers. Emerging evidence suggests that apprentices earn more than they did before becoming apprentices1 and employer reporting suggests strong returns on their investment in registered apprenticeship. Employers also report benefiting from a stronger pipeline of skilled workers, less turnover, greater employee engagement and loyalty, and improved firm culture. To realize these benefits, RAPs must make sure apprentices stay in the programs and complete them.

Graphic presenting evidence-informed strategies to recruit and retain apprentices.

The Evidence Capacity Summary is designed to facilitate conversation and inform actions that staff across agencies may wish to pursue to further strengthen their capacity to use and to produce evidence. The findings presented in the brief summarize insights from 16 agency staff focus groups and the U.S. Department of Labor-wide capacity assessment survey.

The evidence capacity assessment included the 16 U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) agencies in the Department’s Strategic Plan. It reflects data collected through a survey of targeted DOL staff, focus groups with selected DOL staff, and a review of selected evidence documents. The research team used a strengths-based approach that recognizes and leverages DOL’s and agencies’ progress and embodies a continuous improvement mindset.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), partnering with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Guam Department of Labor, commissioned Summit Consulting, LLC, to understand the feasibility of implementing an unemployment insurance (UI) program in Guam under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), in partnership with the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), contracted with Westat Insight to explore approaches to measure and increase program provision to underserved and marginalized communities through ILAB’s discretionary grantmaking programs under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.

The E2A Tool Kit: Tips for Developing Great Evidence to Action (E2A) Products, produced under the Evidence to Action (E2A) at DOL: Portfolio Project & Process Study, is designed to help research teams plan for and develop effective evidence-to-action research products. While the hope is that the tool kit will be useful for a wider audience, it is written for research contractors who work for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and for DOL staff who review and provide guidance on research contracts.

This guide provides users with a quick overview for launching the Worker Paid Leave Usage Simulation (Worker PLUS) model. The Worker PLUS User Manual provides two options for launching the model (options 1 and 2) and two options for downloading the American Community Survey (ACS) input files to run model simulations (options A and B). This guide focuses on option 1 for quickly launching the model’s graphical user interface (GUI) in Python and option A for downloading the ACS input files. Users following this quick-start guide do not need to have Python installed to launch the GUI.

The infographic explains how the Worker Paid Leave Usage Simulation (Worker PLUS) Model can help researchers and policymakers anticipate the benefits and costs of paid leave policies.

In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and commissioned Westat to examine the feasibility of using administrative data to conduct an implementation study of the National Construction Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Pilot (NCSP) under the Administrative Data Research and Analysis portfolio of studies.