LAUS and MLS Programs Workshop 2005 BLS LMI Conference May 25, 2005

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LAUS and MLS Programs Workshop2005 BLS LMI
ConferenceMay 25, 2005

• Sharon P. Brown, Chief
• Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• Phillip George, Director LMI Division
• South Dakota Department of Labor
• Robert Langlais, LMI Director
• Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training

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LAUS/MLS Policy Council Membership

• State representatives
• BLS program representatives
• BLS regional office representatives

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State Representatives

• Robert Langlais Rhode Island Region I
• Brynn Keith Alaska Region II III
• Amelia Butts Georgia Region IV
• Brian Baker Ohio Region V
• Richard Reinhold Illinois Region V
• Margaret Stiefel Arkansas Region VI
• William Niblack Missouri Region VII
• Phil George South Dakota Region VIII
• Naomi Harada Hawaii Region IX
• Manuel Leon Idaho Region X

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BLS Representatives

• Program
• Sharon Brown, Federal Co-Chair
• Sandi Mason
• Lew Siegel
• Jim Esposito
• Richard Tiller
• Regional
• Denis McSweeney, Boston-New York
• Chuck Jirik, Chicago

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Policy Council Goals

• Address state issues
• Improve the LAUS and MLS programs through policy
  decisions
• Communicate to LMI Directors what is happening on
  the Policy Council

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Policy Council Projects

• LAUS Redesign
• Model review/Dual estimation/LSS Beta Testing
• User NotificationPolicy Council-developed
  Briefing Materials
• City estimates using claims disaggregation
• Small area employment survey
• LAUS and MLS State training needs
• MLS movement of work data
• LAUS and MLS project planning
• LAUS State Analyst competencies

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECTLAUS/MLS POLICY COUNCIL

• Policy Council Observation
• LAUS Program tasks have become increasingly
  complex in terms of methodology, use of
  technology and automated systems.

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Questions Posed
• How have these changes affected the type of
  worker needed to successfully operate the LAUS
  program?
• What knowledge, skills and abilities are needed
  by a Journeyperson level LAUS technician?

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Actions Taken
• Reviewed Current State Job Descriptions for Staff
  on LAUS Program
• Started with Policy Council States
• Job Descriptions Varied Widely
• Refocused on Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Reviewed Work Done by BLS Office of Field
  Operations (OFO) for Regional Office staff
• Competencies Developed for Professional Staff
  Certification Plans (CES ES 202)
• Six competencies categories - Three General and
  Three Program Specific

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Six Competency Categories
• Leadership
• Training
• Communication
• Technical Program Knowledge
• Technology
• Production Management

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Identify LAUS Program Specific Competencies
• Use Tasks Identified in the LAUS Time and Task
  Survey
• Tasks Were Grouped into One of the Three Program
  Specific Competencies - Technical Program
  Knowledge, Technology Production Management

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Each Competency has Three Sections
• Knowledge
• How to Learn
• Skills and Abilities

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Three General Competencies were also developed
• Leadership, Training Communications
• These Skills Cut Across All Programs

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Final Product will be sent to all LMI Directors
• Purpose is to provide LMI Directors with a
  helpful resource

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LAUS COMPETENCIES PROJECT

• Competencies Can Be Used
• To Evaluate Existing Staff Needs
• As Guidelines for Hiring New Staff
• As a Resource to Help Update State LAUS Job
  Descriptions

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Update on the LAUS and MLS Programs

• LAUS Program Activities
• LAUS Redesign Implementation
• Administrative Uses of LAUS Data
• FY 2006 Work Statement
• LAUS Long-term Planning
• MLS Program Activities
• MLS Seasonally Adjusted Data
• MLS Offshoring and Outsourcing
• FY 2006 Work Statement
• MLS Long-term Planning

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Why did we redesign the LAUS program?

• To improve the methodological basis of the
  estimates and address long-standing problems
• Previous model and benchmark issues
• Inadequacies in substate estimation
• To introduce decennial census data updates and
  improvements

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LAUS Redesign Activities

• Research 1999-2004
• Pre-Implementation
• Dual estimation/research reports/simulations
• Federal Register Notices/Box Notes/QAs
• Letters to users of LAUS Data
• Training
• Implementation
• City claims development and use
• Historical LAUS data development
• Understanding impact of the Redesign

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Administrative uses of LAUS Data

• LAUS data are used to allocate more than 40
  billion in funds by 23 programs in 12 federal
  agencies
• Allocations go from the program to States and
  then substate areas, or directly to substate
  areas
• Most substate areas are geopolitical units
• December 9 letter/memo alerted programs to the
  LAUS Redesignno reaction
• All areas are affected by the Redesign
• Special concern Census-tract-defined areas

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Administrative uses of LAUS DataAreas of
Substantial Unemployment

• Areas of Substantial Unemployment (ASUs) used by
  ETA to determine State allocations for adults
  and youth
• Require census tract data
• 2000 Census data affected by group quarters
  issue
• ETA program algorithms to be revised as part of
  WIA reauthorization
• Latest options for 2005 ASU search
• Use individual counties or combinations of
  counties
• Use combinations of LAUS areas
• Use WIA local areas
• Use the 2004 ASUs

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FY 2006 LAUS Work Statement

• LAUS work statement changes
• deliverables that address LAUS Redesign changes
  and timing were removed
• monthly State economic analysis requirement was
  removed
• PROMIS as an operating system was added
• evaluation of employment estimation in non-CES
  areas was added

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Long-term Projects in LAUS

• Eliminate the 1999-2000 break in LAUS substate
  series
• Improve data exchange between States for
  methodology and for interstate areas
• PROMIS system
• encourage State participation and use
• identify demographic tables
• use PROMIS claims data for research into
  exhaustees
• Review LAUS estimating items eliminated in 1996
  budget cut for possible restoration

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MLS Program Activities

• Issuance of 6 seasonally adjusted monthly MLS
  data series with the January 2005 release
• Issuance of MLS job loss data due to offshoring
  and outsourcing
• development of questions
• initial release in June
• manual data entry through August
• automated data entry from September on

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MLS Movement of WorkOffshoring and Outsourcing

• MLS questions on movement of work implemented
  with January 2004 events
• Evaluation of data led to concerns about dont
  knows
• BLS and Policy Council evaluation of questions
  and responses supported issuance of all responses
• Quarterly releases on movement of work have
  brought attention to the program

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FY 2006 MLS Work Statement

• MLS work statement changes
• PROMIS use was added
• Confidentiality statement was moved to general
  section
• MLS authorized for WIA and statistical purposes,
  therefore excluded from CIPSEA
• MLS confidentiality protections identical to
  CIPSEA

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Long-term Projects in MLS

• Evaluate and update the reasons for layoff
• Move to a more structured interview approach
• Develop outreach materials for customers and
  training for users
• provide MLS Overview and WinMLS Training
• Issue the MLS Program Manual

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LAUS-MLS Policy Council Planning State Input
Form

• Most critical LAUS or MLS program issue in your
  State?
• What changes would you like to see?
• Highest priority projects in MLS
• Highest priority projects in LAUS
• Other concerns or issues for the Policy Council