Develop and disseminate essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers 2) businesses employers 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries…

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration awarded a $321,585 Formula Grant under the Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities program (CFDA 17.207) to the Labor & Industrial Relations Hawaii Department, the state workforce agency. The purpose of this grant is to develop and disseminate essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups, including job seekers, businesses, workforce intermediaries, and policymakers.

Grantee activities include populating and maintaining a workforce information database, producing employment projections and a statewide economic analysis report, and ensuring LMI staff are adequately trained. The expected outcome is that users of the LMI will have sufficient information to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and training. The grant period runs from July 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027. The state may use grant funds to work with subrecipients to conduct LMI studies or research when the state LMI office lacks sufficient staffing or expertise.

Purpose

The purpose of this grant is to develop and disseminate essential state and local labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers 2) businesses employers 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries such as employment, school, and career counselors, and case managers at american job centers, who help individuals find a job or make career decisions, or engage businesses seeking skilled workers 4) program and service planners at educational institutions and community-based organizations 5) policy makers, including state and local workforce development boards (wdbs) 6) partners, such as economic development entities and human resourceprofessionals and 7) other customers, including recipients of workforce development grants, researchers, commercial data providers, and the media.

Activities

Grantees must populate and maintain a database (the workforce information database or WID), produce two types of public products (employment projections and a statewide economic analysis report), and ensure LMI staff are adequately trained. ETA also encourages grantees to produce other reports and data in addition to those required. Grantees have wide discretion in both the topics and presentation format. These reports should include accurate data, actionable information, and resources that enable data users to make informed decisions about the reemployment, work-based learning, training, and career pathways strategies that lead to rapid reemployment and worker advancement along a continuum of high-demand and higher wage jobs.

Expected outcomes

By performing these duties users of LMI will have sufficientinformation to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and training.

Intended beneficiaries

Job seekers, employers, staff in american job centers, state and local wdbs, national state local policy makers, students, academic researchers, labor market analysts, and other users of LMI.

Subrecipient activities

A state may use wigs funding to work with a subrecipient to conduct a study or research an LMI topic when a state LMI office does not have sufficient staffing or knowledge to conduct the work themselves.