The purpose of the ES program is to bring together individuals looking for employment and employers looking for job seekers

The Florida Department of Commerce received a formula grant of $38.4 million from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) for the Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities program (CFDA 17.207), effective July 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028. This universal-access employment services program provides job seekers with career guidance, labor exchange services, job search assistance, workforce information, and referrals to employment opportunities. Employers benefit from job posting services, applicant recruitment, and matching services to fill open positions. The program explicitly excludes direct training services, focusing instead on facilitating rapid workforce reentry and efficient employer-candidate matching through the public workforce system.

The Florida Department of Commerce sub-awarded portions of this funding to 25 local workforce development boards across the state, including Careersource organizations in Suncoast, North Central Florida, Southwest Florida, Tampa Bay, Brevard, and other regional areas, as well as specialized workforce boards serving Palm Beach County, Broward County, Polk County, and additional regions. These sub-recipients deliver the core employment services—including career assessments, job search workshops, job referrals, and employer recruitment support—at the local level through American Job Centers and career source offices. The subawards were executed between August and October 2025, enabling continuous service delivery to job seekers and employers throughout Florida's workforce development system.

Activities

The ES is a universal access program that provides services to all individuals who need services. Allowable services include assessments of career interests, career guidance when appropriate, job search workshops, and referral to jobs or training as appropriate. Services offered to employers include referral of job seekers to job openings matching job requirements with applicants experience, skills and other attributes helping with special recruitment needs assisting employers with hard-to-fill job orders assisting with job restructuring and helping employers assist laid-off workers. Training services are not provided and not allowable under ES program.

Expected outcomes

The ES program outcomes are to ensure that individuals are able to access and receive the services they need to overcome barriers to employment and reenter the workforce system as quickly as possible.

Intended beneficiaries

This is a universal access program that is available to all individuals.

Subrecipient activities

The grantees may subaward funds to conduct LMI research as well as the provision of specific services such as assessments of career interests, career guidance, job search workshops, referral to jobs or training as appropriate, and others.