Plant Closings:
Information on Advance Notice and Assistance to Dislocated Workers
HRD-87-86BR: Published: Apr 17, 1987. Publicly Released: May 4, 1987.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the extent of assistance and advance notice provided to workers dislocated as the result of plant closings and permanent layoffs.
GAO estimated that 16,200 businesses with 50 or more employees either closed or had a permanent layoff, resulting in the dislocation of 1.3 million workers during 1983 and 1984. GAO found that: (1) most of the businesses with over 100 employees reported that they provided 14 or fewer days of advance notice; (2) about one-third of the businesses reported that they provided no advance notice; (3) the median notice for blue-collar employees was 7 days, while the median notice for white-collar workers was 14 days; and (4) more businesses without union representation provided no notice than did businesses having some union representation. In addition, GAO found that: (1) less than 30 percent of the businesses with 100 or more employees provided both financial and reemployment assistance to dislocated employees; (2) the most common forms of assistance were severance pay, continuation of insurance benefits, and reemployment assistance; (3) over half of the businesses offered severance pay to white-collar employees, but only 37 percent offered severance pay to blue-collar employees; (4) about one-third of the businesses offered reemployment assistance; and (5) businesses that provided more notice were more likely to provide financial or reemployment assistance.
Oct 19, 2020
Fair Labor Standards Act:
Observations on the Effects of the Home Care RuleGAO-21-72: Published: Oct 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 19, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
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Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:
Additional DOL Actions Needed to Help States and Employers Address Substance Use DisorderGAO-20-337: Published: May 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
Apr 14, 2020
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Job Corps:
DOL Should Provide Greater Transparency in Communicating Its Rationale for Closure DecisionsGAO-20-240R: Published: Apr 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 14, 2020.
Feb 14, 2020
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National Mediation Board:
Additional Actions Needed to Fully Implement Prior GAO Recommendations and Improve Agency Management and OversightGAO-20-236: Published: Feb 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Feb 14, 2020.
Feb 10, 2020
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National Weather Service:
Information on Contractor Selection and Work Performed for Its Operations and Workforce Analysis ProjectGAO-20-271R: Published: Jan 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Feb 10, 2020.
Sep 9, 2019
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Job Corps:
Actions Needed to Improve Planning for Center Operation ContractsGAO-19-326: Published: Aug 8, 2019. Publicly Released: Sep 9, 2019.
Apr 10, 2019
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Priority Open Recommendations:
Department of LaborGAO-19-395SP: Published: Apr 3, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2019.
Apr 9, 2019
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Military Spouse Employment:
Participation in and Efforts to Promote the My Career Advancement Account ProgramGAO-19-320R: Published: Apr 9, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 9, 2019.
Apr 8, 2019
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Workforce Automation:
Better Data Needed to Assess and Plan for Effects of Advanced Technologies on JobsGAO-19-257: Published: Mar 7, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 8, 2019.
Mar 28, 2019
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Employment and Training Programs:
Department of Labor Should Assess Efforts to Coordinate Services Across ProgramsGAO-19-200: Published: Mar 28, 2019. Publicly Released: Mar 28, 2019.
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