Labor force participation (the percentage of people working or looking for work) plummeted by more than 3 percentage points during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, representing a decline of more than 8.2 million people. While about half of the drop was quickly regained, participation has stagnated at about 1 percentage point below its pre-pandemic level. This Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity highlights a paper entitled “Where are the Missing Workers?”. During the podcast, researchers discuss several possible explanations, including fear of COVID-19 and shifting work-life balance preferences.

This brief summarizes findings and recommendations from a study designed to measure and compare the added value of models used to predict participant success within career pathways programs in the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. HPOG provided education and training in high-demand occupations in the health care field to TANF participants and other individuals with low incomes. As part of program enrollment and participation, workforce program providers have access to program data through their management information systems that has the potential to improve program outcomes through data analysis. In addition to improving program outcomes, analyzing the wealth of program data allows providers to identify participants at greater risk for program dropout and tailor the program accordingly to participants with an increased risk. From a provider perspective, predictive models vary in the level of program value, costs, and complexity. To help inform practitioner decision-making and explore differences using real-world program data, the brief explores the tradeoffs of using simple to complex data science methodology to analyze career pathways program data.

The issue of opportunity youths—young adults who are neither in school nor working—has been pervasive over the past few decades, although the problem grew more severe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article in a two-part series from the Federal Reserve Bank noted how the rate of young adult disconnection ebbs and flows with business cycles as these adults choose to enroll in school or grapple with the realities of the labor market. This second article  illustrates how several demographic groups have differed in their response to business cycles over time and how their disconnection rates have changed in recent years. The inability to reengage these young adults may aggravate economic issues already gaining attention, such as declining enrollment in higher education and languishing labor force participation.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 45% of rural adults say they have been impacted by the opioid epidemic, and 74% of farmers and farmworkers have been directly affected. Rural communities encounter unique challenges when combating substance misuse in the community and the workplace. Rural areas typically have a high poverty rate, are sparsely located, and lack access to healthcare, mental health, and recovery services. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Appalachian Regional Commission, and the First Tennessee Development District and its partners, will host a webinar on May 31, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET that will highlight how opioid addiction has impacted the rural workforce and the resources, promising practices, and grant opportunities available to support recovery through the workforce system.

All along the journey from youth to young adulthood, there are critical junctures at which a change in pathway can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s future. This Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce report identifies 10 pathway changes with the greatest potential to improve employment outcomes for young adults. It uses the Pathways-to-Career policy simulation model to identify promising junctures at which strategic interventions could increase the likelihood of working in a good job.

With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, states are now required to provide case management to all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program participants. The purpose of this study was to help the Food and Nutrition Service better understand how states are implementing the SNAP E&T case management requirement. The study had four objectives: describe states' approaches to SNAP E&T case management; describe states' responses to the new program requirement for case management; provide a comprehensive picture of states' approaches to SNAP E&T assessment; and document states' approaches to offering participant reimbursements. This report summarizes state survey and case study findings and highlights promising practices and lessons learned that can be used to support states as they work to provide case management services aligned with their participants' needs, available resources, and program priorities.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host the third webinar in a series focused on trauma, healing-centered care, and the public workforce system on May 30, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will provide an overview of healing-centered care and its importance for fostering a supportive and caring environment for youth program participants and workforce staff. Healing-centered care is a strengths-based approach to working with youth that acknowledges the trauma of an individual without defining them by their experiences. Webinar presenters will also share best practices for applying this knowledge to service delivery to better support youth program participants on their healing and their mental health.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the Generation Work initiative in 2016 to connect more of America’s young adults—especially those of color from low-income families—with meaningful employment by changing the way public and private systems prepare them for and support them in jobs. Generation Work asked grantees to form partnerships of organizations in workforce development systems (such as training programs, government agencies, funders, employers, and trade unions) to better serve young people ages 18 to 29 years. The first phase of the initiative was implemented in five cities: Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle. MDRC was selected by the Casey Foundation to study the Generation Work initiative and investigate how it unfolded, uncover challenges, and identify best practices. This Issue Focus explores some of the ways Generation Work partnerships sought to change their local workforce development systems and previews some of the study’s findings.

The future of work depends on employees being able to acquire new skills that will allow them to enter new occupations. However, policymakers, economic developers, and workforce practitioners need more information about the use of federal dollars to support more robust job training. This report delves into the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the primary federal program that funds short-term, job-focused trainings for adults. It aims to better understand how well this system is performing relative to the goal of providing training services for in-demand jobs that boost participants’ earnings. Also, the report reviews state websites for all 50 states to understand how program information is presented to potential enrollees.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host the second of three webinars focused on trauma, healing-centered care, and the public workforce system on May 11, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on the connection between trauma and substance use disorder and the role of the workforce system in supporting recovery. Speakers will discuss the intersection between trauma, toxic stress, and addiction, including neuroscience and best practices for workforce professionals in serving individuals with substance use disorders.