Unemployment Insurance:
Administrative Funding Is a Growing Problem for State Programs
HRD-89-72BR: Published: May 24, 1989. Publicly Released: May 24, 1989.
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GAO provided information on states' administration of the Unemployment Insurance Program during this decade, focusing on: (1) trends in federal funding; (2) state management adjustments to funding changes; (3) changes in the number of local program offices and office staffing; and (4) Department of Labor (DOL) oversight.
GAO found that: (1) federal funding peaked at about $1.6 billion in 1983, then dropped 8 percent in 1984, reflecting improvements in the U.S. economy and in employment; (2) federal funding has remained constant since 1984 but continues to be less than DOL estimates of states' needs; (3) states increasingly supplemented programs with their own funds, from 8 states providing an average of $138,000 in 1980 to 21 states providing an average of $1.8 million in 1987; (4) to decrease program costs, states automated claims processing functions and jointly located unemployment insurance and employment service offices, although such changes increased staff training requirements; (5) states generally maintained the same number of permanent claims offices, about 1,850; (6) staffing levels generally fluctuated with the work load, with full-time-equivalent positions declining by about 28 percent since 1983; and (7) states believed that their reduced ability to adequately train staff could result in serious disruptions in service or increased claims processing errors if unemployment rates suddenly increased. GAO also found that DOL lacked an adequate oversight system, since: (1) its decentralization of the unemployment insurance system to states resulted in a reduction in state-reported information on program operations; (2) regional office staffing has declined by 57 percent since 1980; and (3) oversight heavily focused on service promptness, rather than on claims accuracy.
Feb 26, 2021
Servicemember Rights:
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses Have Affected Some Employment and Consumer Claims but the Extent of Their Effects is UnknownGAO-21-221: Published: Feb 26, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 2021.
Feb 18, 2021
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Workplace Safety and Health:
Actions Needed to Improve Reporting of Summary Injury and Illness DataGAO-21-122: Published: Jan 27, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 2021.
Jan 27, 2021
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Military Spouse Employment:
DOD Should Continue Assessing State Licensing Practices and Increase Awareness of ResourcesGAO-21-193: Published: Jan 27, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2021.
Oct 19, 2020
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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.
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