Wagner-Peyser Employment Services: An Original Building Block for Today's Workforce System
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The Next Level Now (NLN) Collaborative has assembled resources to emphasize the evolution of what began nearly a century ago within Wagner-Peyer Employment Services. The Employment Service envisioned under the Wagner-Peyser Act is now integrated into the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and requires co-location of the staff into the 2,400 American Job Centers (AJCs) nationwide.
As the system has evolved, states and local workforce systems have collaborated with Employment Service partners to complement and expand the catalog of services. Employment Services, as defined in federal law, allow for enhancements and regional customization. Services include, but are not limited to counseling, job search and placement assistance, and labor market information provided within three levels of engagement:
- Self-service—typically searching electronic databases of job openings
- Facilitated self-help—access to self-service tools
- Staff-assisted service—includes assessment, career counseling, development of an individual service plan, and intensive job search assistance. Group services for job seekers include orientation, job clubs, and workshops on such topics as resume preparation, job search strategies, and interviewing.
Additional defined services include program evaluation, recruitment and technical services for employers, work tests for the state unemployment compensation system, and referral of unemployment insurance claimants to other federal workforce development resources.
- Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs under WIOA and the Wagner-Peyser Act, TEGL 19-16
- Wagner-Peyser ES and UI – ES Program and Services
Excellent examples of innovation and collaboration were provided by panelists in a January 2025 NLN webinar. Beyond the required services, each state workforce area applied tech tools, skills information, and staff training to increase the effectiveness of services:
Wagner-Peyser Act staffing resides within each state as part of the State Workforce Administration (SWA). Each state has at least the prescribed activity but may differ based upon innovation and customization. In addition to those services previously discussed, you might be interested in:
- Monitor Advocate System – The Wagner-Peyser Act funds the Monitor Advocate System, whose primary responsibility is to ensure service delivery to migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW).
- Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS)- Helps agricultural employers recruit qualified U.S. workers on a temporary or seasonal basis and provides workers seeking temporary agricultural employment with available opportunities.
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- Resource Publication Date: 2025
- Posted by: Damon Jones
- Posted in: Next Level Now