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 Employment and Training Administration (ETA) awarded Iowa Workforce Development a formula grant of $435,283 effective July 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028, under the Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities program (CFDA 17.207). The grant supports the development and dissemination of essential state and local labor market information (LMI) to diverse customer groups including job seekers, employers, workforce intermediaries at American Job Centers, educational institutions, policymakers, economic development entities, and researchers.

Under this award, the grantee must populate and maintain a workforce information database, produce required public products including employment projections and a statewide economic analysis report, and ensure adequate training for LMI staff. The grant emphasizes the delivery of accurate, actionable data and resources that enable users to make informed decisions regarding employment, career development, education, and training pathways leading to rapid reemployment and worker advancement in high-demand occupations. While the core deliverables are specified, the Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser program provides grantees with discretion to develop supplementary reports and data products tailored to state and local workforce needs, ultimately supporting informed decision-making across the public workforce system infrastructure.

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 6) partners, such as economic development entities and human resource professionals and 7) other customers, including recipients of workforce development grants, researchers, commercial data providers, and the media.

Activities

Grantees must populate and maintain a workforce information database, 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 sufficient information to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and training.

Intended beneficiaries

Job seekers, employers, staff in american job centers, state and local workforce boards, 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.