The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) uses a variety of administrative and for-purpose micro-data to build evidence on Department of Labor programs and policies. Innovations in methods and tools broaden capacity to create insights from these data for continuous improvement and to support evidence-informed decision-making.
In addition to DOL stakeholders, CEO supports the broader research community and the general public in accessing and leveraging data as a strategic asset.
On this page, explore our reports on analysis methods, resources for data collection and analyses, and publicly-available datasets
Current Studies:
Completed Reports:
Best Practices in Administrative Data Collection that Facilitate Research: Lessons Learned from the NCSP Exploratory Data Analytics Study
(Research Brief, October 2024)
International Grantmaking to Help Underserved and Marginalized Communities: A Review of Principles and Strategies for Funders
(Literature Review, October 2024)
Exploring Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program Options for Guam: Options Brief
(Research Brief, October 2024)
Exploring Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program Options for Guam: Technical Appendix
(Technical Appendix, October 2024)
Equity in Grantmaking: A Review of Barriers and Strategies for Funders Considering Improvement Opportunities
(Final Report, August 2024)
Leveraging Public Survey Data for Informed Labor Policy: Final Report
(Final Report, August 2024)
2024 Veteran Employment Data Catalog
(Data Catalog, August 2024)
Explorations in Data Innovations—Can Machine Learning Support Data Catalog Development?
(Final Report, July 2024)
Catalog of Data Sources on New Americans
(Data Catalog, May 2024)
Catalog of Employment and Training Programs Serving New Americans
(Program Catalog, May 2024)
Bridging the Gap for New Americans Final Report
(Final Report, April 2024)
Onsite Construction Workforce Utilization by Sex and Race/Ethnicity Research Brief & Appendices
(Research Brief, April 2024)
Apprenticeship as a Tool to Improve Diversity in Construction: What Do the Literature, Current Strategies, and Recent Data Tell Us?
(Research Brief, April 2024)
Building an Equitable Construction Workforce: Understanding and Increasing the Proportion of Women and People of Color in Construction
(Final Combined Report, April 2024)
Considerations Regarding Future Research on Use of Fees in Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Programs: Discussion Paper
(Discussion Paper, April 2024)
Black Lung Incidence Study Navajo Nation Research Brief
(Research Brief, January 2024)
Black Lung Incidence Literature Review
(Literature Review, December 2023)
Black Lung Incidence Study Final Report
(Final Report, December 2023)
Microsimulation Model on Worker Leave
(October 2023)
Microsimulation Model on Worker Leave
(March 2021)
2018 Employee and Worksite Perspectives of the Family and Medical Leave Act National Surveys
(August 2020)
Administrative Data Research and Analysis (ADRA) Project: EBSA Forms 5500 Schedule A Analysis
(Final Report, June 2019)
Administrative Data Research and Analysis (ADRA) Project: Filing Pattern Analysis
(Final Report, June 2019)
Administrative Data Research and Analysis Project (ADRA): Job Corps Follow-Up Study
(Final Report, February 2019)
Return-to-Work Outcomes for Federal Employees in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Disability Management Program
(Final Report, January 2019)
Comparing Job Training Impact Estimates using Survey and Administrative Data
(Final Report, December 2018)
Analysis of EBSA Form M-1 Data, 2012-2016
(Final Report, November 2018)
Administrative Data Research and Analysis (ADRA) Project Child Labor Research - Resources for Quantitative Surveys
(Final Report, November 2018)
- Sampling and analysis video 1
- Sampling and analysis video 2
- Sampling and analysis video 3
- Sampling and analysis video 4
- Sampling and analysis video 5
- Template for video 4 - Sample sizes
- Template for video 5 - Analysis
Administrative Data Research and Analysis (ADRA) Project: Data on Earnings: A Review of Resources For Research
(Final Report, November 2018)
Women’s Bureau Strategic Community Outreach Study
(November 2017)
Worker Leave Simulation Analysis Project
(January 2017)
- Estimating Usage and Costs of Alternative Policies to Provide Paid Family and Medical Leave in the United States
- Estimating Usage and Costs of Alternative Policies to Provide Paid Sick Days in the United States
- Estimating the Distributional Impacts of Alternative Policies to Provide Paid Sick Days in the United States
- Family and Medical Leave-Taking among Older Workers
- Paid Leave and Employment Stability of First-Time Mothers
- Qualifying for Unpaid Leave: FMLA Eligibility among Working Mothers
- The Effects of FMLA Eligibility and Awareness on Family Leave-Taking
Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program Study
(Final Report, September 2015)
Public Use Data:
2018 Employee and Worksite Perspectives of the Family and Medical Leave Act National Surveys
Public Use File Documentation Guide
2018 FMLA Employee Survey
- Employee SAS data set (.sas7bdat)
- Employee SAS formats (.sas7cdat)
- Employee Stata data set (.dta)
Codebook
- Employee Codebook (.xlsx)
- Employee Codebook (.pdf)
SAS/STATA Programs
- Employee SAS read in program to assign formats (.sas)
- Employee SAS sample code (.sas)
- Employee Stata sample code (.do)
2018 FMLA Worksite Survey
- Worksite SAS data set (.sas7bdat)
- Worksite SAS formats (.sas7cdat)
- Worksite Stata data set (.dta)
Codebook
- Worksite Codebook (.xlsx)
- Worksite Codebook (.pdf)
SAS/STATA Programs
- Worksite SAS read in program to assign formats (.sas)
- Worksite SAS sample code (.sas)
- Worksite Stata sample code (.do)
Family and Medical Leave Act Surveys (2012)
- Documentation
- Data File - Employee (.dta)
- Data File - Employee (.sas7bdat)
- Data File - Worksite (.dta)
Data File - Worksite (.sas7bdat)
Find more research in DOL’s Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR).
Labor Research Scholars and Grants
DOL and CEO fund grants and awards to support academic research that build evidence on labor issues important to the department. Read more about each research program and explore the final reports and datasets.
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy. CEO’s research development process includes extensive technical review at the design, data collection and analysis stage, including: external contractor review and OMB review and approval of data collection methods and instruments per the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Institutional Review Board (IRB) review to ensure studies adhere to the highest ethical standards, review by academic peers (e.g., Technical Working Groups), and inputs from relevant DOL agency and program officials and CEO technical staff. Final reports undergo an additional independent expert technical review and a review for Section 508 compliance prior to publication. The resulting reports represent findings from this independent research and do not represent DOL positions or policies.