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Wagner-Peyser Act

The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 established a nationwide system of public employment offices that are known as the United States Employment Service (USES). This system has provided high quality job seeker and employer labor exchange service and information for over seventy years.

In the photo above, President Franklin Roosevelt is shown signing the legislation, as Senator Wagner and Representative Peyser look on. Also shown is Frances Perkins, who became the first woman cabinet member when FDR appointed her Secretary of Labor, a post she held for 12 years. She helped pass the seminal labor laws of the Great Depression: the Wagner-Peyser Act revitalized the U.S. Employment Service, the Fair Labor Standards Act set a floor under wages and a ceiling over hours, and the Wagner Act protected workers' right to organize. She was also the principal architect of the Social Security Act.

The Employment Service has been known by many names including the Job Service, the "Labor Board" and the "Unemployment Office". But by any name the Employment Service has fulfilled the employment related information and service needs of millions nationwide. Although the names of the many services centers may be different -- Employment Services, Employment Security Commission, One-Stop Center, or Workforce Development Center etc. -- their mission is the same: to assist job seekers in finding jobs and employers in finding qualified workers and, in some areas, to provide job training and related services.

The Wagner-Peyser Act was amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The WIA amendments transformed the Employment Service into the foundation of a One-Stop delivery system. The Wagner-Peyser funded Employment Service now provides the universal access to core services and an integrated array of labor exchange and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services delivered through One-Stop Career Centers nationwide.

The Employment Service is an integral part of the One Stop delivery system that provides universal access to an integrated array of labor exchange and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services so that workers, job seekers and businesses can find the services they need in one stop and frequently under one roof in easy-to-find locations.

As part of the One Stop service delivery system, the Employment Service focuses on providing a variety of employment related labor exchange services including but not limited to job search assistance, job referral, and placement assistance for job seekers, re-employment services to unemployment insurance claimants, and recruitment services to employers with job openings. Services are delivered in one of three modes including self-service, facilitated self-help services and staff assisted service delivery approaches. Depending on the needs of the labor market other services such as job seeker assessment of skill levels, abilities and aptitudes, career guidance when appropriate, job search workshops and referral to training may be available.

The services offered to employers, in addition to referral of job seekers to available job openings, include assistance in development of job order requirements, matching job seeker experience with job requirements, skills and other attributes, assisting employers with special recruitment needs, arranging for Job Fairs, assisting employers analyze hard-to-fill job orders, assisting with job restructuring and helping employers deal with layoffs.

Job seekers who are Veterans receive priority referral to jobs and training as well as special employment services and assistance. In addition, the system provides specialized attention and service to individuals with disabilities, migrant and seasonal farm-workers, ex-offenders, youth, minorities and older workers.

Additional Information

CFR Part 652, Establishment and Functioning of State Employment Services, may be viewed at:
http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ETA/Title_20/Part_652/toc.htm

The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), is available at:
http://www.uses.doleta.gov/w-pact_amended98.asp

Source

Information for this topic was drawn from the DOL website at:
http://www.uses.doleta.gov/wp.asp
http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/history/perkins.htm
http://www.uses.doleta.gov/

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