Employment Service

Variations in Local Office Performance Gao ID: HRD-89-116BR August 3, 1989

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the U.S. Employment Service (USES), focusing on: (1) variations in local USES performance across the nation and by state; and (2) the extent to which USES provided applicant services, such as counseling and testing.

GAO found that: (1) local USES offices and states varied greatly in their ability to place applicants in jobs; (2) local offices with above- or below-average performance tended to be concentrated in certain states, indicating that individual states' policies and practices contributed to performance variations; (3) although the variations were not related to the level of resources expended per applicant, better-performing states spent less per placement than other states; and (4) while the work load remained stable from 1980 to 1987, USES provided individualized assistance and career guidance at a steadily declining rate during that period.



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