U.S. Department of Labor Awards $32 Million in Grants To Workforce Information Grants to States

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a total of $32,000,000 in Workforce Information Grants to States (WIGS) for use by states and territories to support the development, management and delivery of workforce and labor market information.

Administered by the Department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the annual grants enable state workforce agencies to develop and disseminate essential state and local workforce and labor market information to job seekers, employers, educators, economic development officials and for other uses, such as state and local employment projections. The information follows the same methodology used by the Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in national employment projections.

“Now more than ever states must leverage state and local labor market information to help restart their economies,” said Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training John Pallasch. “We value our partnership with states as we facilitate the enhancement and improvement of their labor market information programs to ensure that the public workforce system is answering the calls of business and industry as it relates to talent, skills and competencies.”

Awarded annually, the WIGS are authorized under Section 15 of the Wagner-Peyser Act. The data that states produce and disseminate are published on state websites and used in Department-funded online career tools such as www.careeronestop.org and www.mynextmove.org. Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands allotment amounts are partially based on civilian labor force data from the BLS’ Current Population Study.

ETA administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. These services are primarily provided through state and local workforce development systems. Learn more about ETA.

The mission of the Department is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.