Employment Service: Preliminary Analysis of Policies and Practices Related to Performance

GAO discussed its review of the Employment Service's job placement activities, focusing on state and local program management policies and practices related to effective performance. GAO noted that, although differences in regional economic and demographic conditions influenced some offices' job placement performance, the best performing offices were more likely to: (1) interact extensively with Job Training Partnership Act programs; (2) register applicants through individual interviews rather than through group intake; (3) directly involve counselors and program managers in placement activities; (4) use computers for searching applicant and employer files for job matches; and (5) be located in states that rewarded offices for meeting established performance goals, more extensively monitored local offices, and relied more on alternative sources of funds to support operations.