Abt Associates/Workforce Learning Strategies 1 

WORKING DRAFT 

NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANT PROMISING PRACTICES SERIES:

USING DATA STRATEGICALLY

TO ALIGN JOB SEEKERS AND OCCUPATIONAL DEMAND

PREPARED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BY:

ABT ASSOCIATES INC.    WORKFORCE LEARNING STRATEGIES

55 WHEELER STREET    5 TENNEY STREET

CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138   CAMBRIDGE, MA 02140

1

ABOUT THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANT PROMISING PRACTICES SERIES 

States and local areas that administer National Emergency Grants (NEGs) have developed a

growing body of expertise in the effective management of these grants.  The National

Emergency Grant Promising Practices Series is a compilation of ten documents whose purpose

is to highlight and share some exemplary approaches that were instrumental in preparing

for, planning, and implementing a NEG.  The intent of disseminating these effective

methodologies on a broad, national level is to facilitate the continuous improvement of NEG

project operations and to promote peer‐to‐peer information‐sharing among practitioners.  

The information presented in the NEG Promising Practices Series was gleaned from a study,

which focused on the in‐depth review of fifteen NEG projects that varied in type, size, and

scope.  Collectively, these projects represent an investment of $282,377,589 made by the

Department of Labor (DOL) that helped states assist dislocated workers obtain

reemployment in the aftermath of a large layoff or disaster‐related event.  The insights

shared by these grantees were synthesized for dissemination, resulting in a set of promising

practices that build upon four broad themes:

Infrastructure and Readiness.  How grantees have organized state and local

delivery systems to ensure effective and efficient use of NEG resources;

Planning and Start‐Up.  How grantees have mobilized key resources and

stakeholders to facilitate effective grant planning and implementation;

Program Design and Implementation.  What specific interventions and services have

been implemented to support the unique reemployment needs of dislocated

workers; and

Institutional Results.  How NEG investments have directly or indirectly resulted

in an enhanced capacity to respond to unexpected economic events.  

Listed below are the ten documents, which comprise the National Emergency Grant Promising

Practices Series.  Each review addresses a specific area of NEG management and has been

written to emphasize the specific planning, design, and operational decisions that

contributed to successful retraining and reemployment strategies.   

Working Across Boundaries in Planning a Regional NEG Response

Expanding NEG Training Capacity Through Partnerships with Community Colleges

Aligning NEG Strategies with High Growth Sectors and Occupations

Peer Support Systems that Strengthen Outreach and Participation

Preparing for the Unexpected in Disaster Grants

Establishing and Managing a Temporary Jobs Program

Implementing Transition Teams to Lead the Dislocation Response

Partnering with Organized Labor to Support Reemployment

Coordinating Resources to Meet the Reemployment Challenge

Using Data Strategically to Align Job Seekers and Occupational Demand

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PREVIEW 

The efforts to assist dislocated workers in finding reemployment after a layoff benefit from

an efficient process that aligns the competencies of these individuals with the specific skill

requirements of the labor market.  Effective NEG grantees have utilized available labor

market information (LMI) to create tools that strengthen the planning of training and

education programs as well as the job search efforts of dislocated workers.   

All states have LMI databases; the challenge in meeting the needs of dislocated workers is to

turn the vast quantities of data into useful information that can directly shape and support

reemployment efforts.  More specifically, this information needs to directly inform program

planners who establish training and service priorities across a state or region as well as

program staff who develop and monitor individual development plans.  Successfully

supporting all of these users requires that data systems shed light on both the characteristics

of and demand for workers in the job market.  This includes providing information on:

Previous job titles of dislocated workers, including their required knowledge,

skills and abilities (KSAs);

Current job openings;

Prospective job openings in growth sectors of the regional economy;

Skill and hiring requirements of current and prospective job openings; and

Alignment of workers’ existing competencies with the requirements of current

and prospective openings.

When serving dislocated workers through a NEG, using data to support advanced planning

is essential.  Ultimately the accuracy, currency, and accessibility of this information will

impact employment outcomes of the affected workforce.  Collecting the appropriate

information and assessing it effectively will enhance a NEG project in all phases of its

lifespan:

Infrastructure and Readiness.  Having systems in place to easily access and

customize economic and labor market data is critical to responding to

unexpected layoffs.  Knowledge of labor demand, growing industries and

occupations, and regional economic trends provides insight into the

ramifications of a pending dislocation event and how to best deploy available

resources to workers in need.

Planning and Start‐up.  Linking worker competencies with the skill requirements

of available occupations is critical to effective planning decisions.  The ability to

develop a customized and comprehensive NEG response requires the use of

labor market data to guide these planning decisions.  

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Program Design and Implementation. During this phase of a NEG, effective use of

data may lead to increased efficiencies in training and job placement as a result

of the greater understanding of both the affected workforce and the labor market.  

Examples of positive outcomes may be a greater customization of training, a

broader range of available training options, and a better matching of training to

employer needs.

  

Learning from NEG Grantees: This blueprint discusses how three grantees have developed

and refined data systems that routinely produce information in direct support of

practitioners and job seekers.

Missouri—Impact Analysis and Occupational Crosswalk Briefs. Missouri’s Economic

Research and Information Center (MERIC) produces impact analyses for major

plant closings and layoffs.  These summary documents profile the displaced

workforce and project the regional economic impacts of displacement.  The reports

are typically supplemented with a series of occupational crosswalk briefs that help

workers chart a path to a new job or career.  These reports originated during the

implementation of the Ford/Lear Dual Enrollment NEG and were used as a tool to

serve workers affected by a layoff at Ford Motor Company and its supplier, Lear

Corporation.  These analyses are now a standard tool in the planning and

implementation of services following any large dislocation event.  NEG Award

Amount: $1,938,618.

Maine—Skills Transferability Analysis.  Based on work done in conjunction with the

Bath Iron Works NEG, Maine’s skills transferability analysis has become the model

for response to major dislocations in this State.  Produced by Maine’s Center for

Workforce Research and Information (CWRI), this analysis provides an in‐depth

examination of the KSAs of the impacted workforce and compares these findings to

the skills required for current as well as projected job openings.  NEG Award

Amount: $698,194.

Oregon—Job Seeker Web Sites.  Oregon focuses on using LMI to develop online tools

and resources that can be easily understood and used by job seekers and local career

counselors.  The Research Division of Oregon’s Employment Department has

created four online labor market data tools that allow job seekers to explore

alternative occupations relative to their own base of competencies.  Dislocated

workers from Hewlett‐Packard and Amalgamated Sugar were able to access these

tools at NEG project centers, One‐Stop Career Centers, or from home.  NEG Award

Amount: $1,302, 337 and $540,816, respectively.

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The experience of these grantees demonstrates how strategically gathering data on workers’

skills as well as on high growth occupations and then converting those data into user‐

friendly information can improve NEG program designs.  The states described in this

blueprint use the data‐based products to assess a dislocation’s impact, design service

strategies, and support job seekers in finding new employment.  The discussion that follows

highlights the experience of these grantees with an emphasis on:

Data sources and inputs;

Methodologies for data analysis and synthesis; and

Informational output (e.g., reports, tools) and end users.

In addition, the discussion highlights lessons and tips that promote the utility of these

planning data.  

MISSOURI’S IMPACT ANALYSES AND OCCUPATIONAL CROSSWALKS 

The auto industry layoffs at Ford Motor Company and Lear Corporation caused significant

economic upheaval in the St. Louis region.  To be able to effectively respond to this

disruption, State and local officials sought to improve their understanding of the impacts at

both the regional level and at the worker level.  As a result, specialists at the Missouri

Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), the LMI arm of Missouri’s

Department of Economic Development, developed a workforce impact analysis and

occupational crosswalk briefs to directly support the development of a service response.  

These tools had their origins in response to the Ford/Lear layoffs and have evolved over

time, becoming increasingly refined and automated.

Specifically, MERIC now produces a workforce impact analysis for all layoffs and closings

for which a NEG application is prepared.  These analyses profile the displaced workforce

and project regional economic impacts of the dislocation event; this helps to shape a more

focused and customized NEG project.  MERIC also produces occupational crosswalk briefs

that help workers chart a path to a new job or career.  These briefs summarize the KSAs

associated with the layoff occupations and identify prospective crossover occupations that

utilize similar competencies.

Workforce Impact Analysis:  The workforce impact analysis is generally initiated by a

regional Rapid Response team that notifies MERIC about an anticipated layoff or closing.  

The analysis combines primary and secondary data inputs as well as geo‐spatial mapping to

define the affected area.  Specifically, the process relies on:

1. Conducting a survey of impacted workers.  The survey is typically administered by

Rapid Response staff and gathers basic demographic characteristics and educational

attainment as well as information on immediate plans (e.g., job search, retirement,

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returning to school, etc.) and interest in occupational training.  To the extent

necessary, the survey data may be supplemented with worker information from the

union and/or employer.

2. Synthesizing secondary labor market information. Published sources of employment

and unemployment data are used to profile the regional labor market with respect to

levels, rates, and distribution of unemployment.  This component of the analysis

relies on Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims data and Local Area Unemployment

Statistics (BLS).  In addition, the analysis examines household income in the affected

job market and projected occupational and industry growth over the next ten years.  

3. Assessing laborshed or commute patterns of the unemployed.  MERIC typically relies on

the Local Employment Dynamics program of the Census Bureau to map live‐work

patterns.  When actual residence information is provided by the employer, MERIC

uses an in‐house geographic information system (GIS) to conduct the analysis.  

Products and End Users of the Data.  The workforce impact analysis prepared in response to

the Ford/Lear plant closings helped NEG planners and project staff craft a more customized

response.  By providing a thorough understanding of workers’ skill bases as well as current

and projected job openings that drew on those competencies, training and job search

decisions could be pursued much more systematically than ever before.  Some workers were

successfully reemployed in industries that required a similar skill base such as non‐

automotive manufacturing and construction.  Others pursued training to complement their

existing skills and sought employment in various professions where there were identified

growth opportunities; target occupations included vocational trades (e.g., HVAC, electrical),

truck driving, and computer training as well as various health care and related professions

including nursing and medical assistantship.  The geo‐spatial mapping feature also enabled

staff in the various One‐Stop Career Centers in the region to see where dislocated workers

lived so as to better anticipate workload levels.  The Ford/Lear impact analysis was also

used by the regional Economic Council in its efforts to recruit new businesses and industry

to the area by informing prospects of the types of skills readily available among the local

workforce including those workers affected by the layoff.

MERIC now has a system in place that can quickly tap relevant data from each of the

principal sources for a location being impacted by a dislocation.  This allows the workforce

impact analysis to be produced in one to three days.  The actual reports run five to eight

pages and make extensive use of graphs, charts, and GIS‐based maps to provide user‐

friendly data.  Obtaining the impact analysis is an item on the Rapid Response team’s

checklist of key action steps.

Occupational Crosswalk Briefs:  In addition to the macro‐level analysis of the workforce

and regional economy, MERIC also produced a series of occupational crosswalk briefs for

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the Ford/Lear workforces.  The purpose

of these briefs was to further support

workers with more concrete information

on sectors of the economy that rely on

workers with an experience base and

skill set similar to theirs.  These two‐

page handouts succinctly summarized

the KSAs of the principal occupations

among the laid off workforce, such as

assembler, tester and painter.  Using

these briefs, workers were able to

identify sectors of the economy that

currently employ workers in closely

matching job titles as well as the future

employment projections for these

industries.  For example, the

“assembler” brief noted that the “non‐

metallic mineral product

manufacturing“ and the “grocery and related product wholesalers” were both prominent

industries in the greater St. Louis labor market that relied on assemblers in their workforce.  

Most importantly the briefs contained a list of employers in these sectors that helped to

target individuals’ job search.  As the tool was refined over time, it also provided specific

related occupations that workers could prepare for.  These are jobs that draw on a similar

core set of KSAs but may require additional training to meet additional job requirements.  

MERIC now provides crosswalk information online in their Career Exploration Tool.  Hard

copy crosswalks are only prepared in response to layoffs in which workers may not be

experienced in computer use.  The crosswalk is developed using four key steps:

Contents of Missouri’s 

Occupational Crosswalk Briefs 

 The SOC code and definition of the 

occupation that most closely matches 

each job title supplied 

 Current and projected employment for 

that occupation in the impacted region

 The KSAs for the occupation 

 A list of other industries with average 

or above average employment outlooks 

that are projected to have openings for 

that occupation in the affected region 

 An abbreviated listing of employers in 

the region that are classified within 

those crossed industries 

1. Identify impacted job titles.  UI recipients’ former positions are coded to the Standard

Occupational Classification (SOC) at the point of application while non‐UI recipients

are manually coded by front‐line staff.

2. Identify KSAs. MERIC crosswalks the SOC job title to those in O*Net1 to identify

associated KSAs.

 

1

 O*Net is an online database developed by the U.S. Department of Labor

(http://online.onetcenter.org) that  describes and classifies over 900 occupations based on several

hundred attributes from two perspectives: occupational requirements and worker attributes.  

O*Net details key features of occupations in terms of the required KSAs, how the work is

performed, and typical work settings.

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3. Identify demand occupations. MERIC relies on industry and occupational projections

to determine demand occupations in growth sectors of the economy.

4. Identify prospective employers.  Local employers that recruit individuals for the field

in which the crossover occupations belong are generated from the “Employer

Locater” at http://www.missourieconomy.org/.

Products and End Users of the Data.  For each major layoff, MERIC develops an overview that

summarizes principal job titles among the impacted workforce and the number of workers

in each job.  The crosswalk briefs produced for each individual occupation are typically two

pages in length and contain the standard array of data summarized in the sidebar on the

previous page.

MERIC compiled seven occupational crosswalk briefs intended for use directly by the

workers laid off at the Ford‐Hazelwood assembly plant.  The analyzed occupations were

selected based on a variety of factors, including number of workers in an occupation, ability

to connect a job title to a corresponding SOC code, and ability to cross‐reference an

occupation with a poor outlook with an occupation that had a better outlook.  

Typically the briefs are given to case managers, and MERIC staff trains them on how to

assist workers to use the information in the briefs.  Case managers are then able to help

workers identify fields that are most viable given skills transferability and demand.  This

assessment is aided by the assignment of a career grade (e.g., A, B, C) to each occupation for

which a brief is produced.  The assignment is based on the:

Absolute number of openings;

Projected growth rate of each occupation; and

Degree to which wages are above‐average.

In addition to direct use by job seekers and case managers, the data gathered for the briefs

are used for labor pool availability reports, which are provided to economic developers and

to large incoming businesses.  MERIC staff must individually evaluate the costs and

prospective benefits of producing these outputs for each major dislocation.

Keys to Maine’s 

Skills Transferability Analysis 

 Accurate coding of jobs 

that have been lost 

 Current information on 

regional labor demand 

MAINE’S SKILLS TRANSFERABILITY ANALYSIS 

When Bath Iron Works, a major employer in coastal

Maine, laid off its employees in 2004, workforce

planners were challenged to identify new

employment targets for the dislocated workers.  The

difficulty was due not only to the decline of similar

manufacturing jobs in the region but also to the

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unique job titles of many of the positions at the shipyard.  Consequently, staff from Maine’s

Center for Workforce Research and Information (CWRI) developed a methodology for skills

transferability analysis to better identify the actual skills of the laid off Bath Iron Works

employees and the potential for those skills to be utilized in the region’s growth

occupations.  Skills transferability analysis is a systematic approach to identifying core

competencies from a previous job that may be critical to success in a different occupation,

which might perhaps even lie in another industry.  This type of analysis has now become

standard operating practice in Maine as workforce staff utilize skills transferability analysis

to more precisely guide the reemployment process.  There are two interrelated components

to Maine’s approach that are discussed in more detail below:

Understanding the supply of workers by correctly classifying the jobs being lost

and identifying the underlying KSAs.

Understanding the demand for workers by conducting a detailed and up‐to‐date

analysis of current and projected job openings in the region.

Understanding the Supply Side:  The Maine Department of Labor supported the Bath Iron

Works NEG as well as subsequent NEG projects by providing a detailed understanding of

the core competencies that dislocated workers

bring to the job market.  This component of the

analysis is critical in that it provides an in‐depth

understanding of the work experience and

competencies workers bring to their

reemployment challenge.  By understanding

and directly drawing upon their existing base of

knowledge, skills, and abilities, workers can

better target their job search strategy, inform

their decisions about further training, and

ultimately, improve their chances of successful

reemployment.  This analysis has three basic steps:

“Dislocated workers who are able to 

confidently identify their 

knowledge, skills, and abilities will 

be more successful in their job 

search and career advancement 

over those who rely on past 

experience, former job titles, and 

industry associations.” 

- Taken from a Maine skills 

transferability report

1.  Identify and assemble job titles.  The Maine Rapid Response team typically surveys

the workforce and gathers information on job titles as well as related information on

wage rates and education levels.  For cross‐checking purposes, these data may be

supplemented with additional information from the union or the company.  In the

Bath Iron Works NEG, Local 6 of the Marine and Shipbuilding Workers union

supplied State workforce staff with spreadsheets that contained job titles and wage

rates.  

2.  Classify or “code” the job titles. The job titles are then classified and coded using the

SOC system.  For additional clarification, workforce staff may interview individuals

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Maine’s Tips for 

Accurately Coding Jobs 

 Tap the knowledge of the 

employer’s Human Resources 

manager 

 Hold interviews with laid off 

workers about their job 

duties 

 Conduct tours of the plant 

to observe what workers 

actually do 

about their work in order to be able to

correctly code the jobs.  In some cases, such as

at Bath Iron Works, old job titles must be

identified first in the old “Dictionary of

Occupational Titles” and then translated into

the SOC title using the electronic crosswalk in

the SOC.   

3.  Cross‐walk the SOC job titles to O*Net.  The

SOC job titles are cross‐walked to O*Net to

identify potential alternative occupations for

which workers may qualify.  The cross‐

walking is easily accomplished by entering the

SOC number into the online O*Net site.

Understanding the supply side is challenging when job titles are not consistent with

industry standards or classifications.  A simple reliance on job titles may preclude accurate

classification of the positions.  For example, in the Bath Iron Works case, the LMI analysts

found that job titles were often casually labeled (e.g., “5th hand”, “backtender”) or even

misleadingly labeled in the workplace (e.g., a marine electrician was not, in fact, an

electrician but rather a cable layer).  Without additional investigation, a simple reliance on

job titles would result in incorrectly identified transferable skills.  

To ensure the necessary level of precision and insight, CWRI toured the Bath Iron Works

facility prior to the dislocation to observe workers performing job tasks.  In addition, they

consulted with Bath Iron Works’s Human Resources department and conducted structured

interviews with workers in select occupations to better identify and understand job duties

needed to properly classify the position.  

Understanding the Demand Side:  Equally important in the successful reemployment of

Bath Iron Works workers was an understanding of occupational demand in the affected

region.  To understand both current and projected demand, Maine uses an array of

published secondary data sources that are readily available statewide as well as for local

labor markets, including:

Occupational Employment Statistics (for occupational wages);

Occupational Employment Projections (statewide and sub‐state);

O*Net (for identifying KSAs for current and projected openings);

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (for industry employment figures);

and

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Growth projections from the largest employers in the region (selectively

available from statewide projections data).

The skills transferability analysis is prepared using process discussed above.  The critical

link between the supply side and demand side is provided by effective use of O*Net, which

allows the State labor analysts to assess the extent to which the dislocated workers’ KSAs

are transferable to current or emerging job opportunities.  

Products and End Users of the Data.  The skills transferability analysis generates a report that

is typically thirty to fifty pages long.  The analysis profiles industries and occupations in the

regional labor market that require skill sets related to dislocated workers’ previous

positions.  Specifically, the report includes:

A description of the regional labor market;

A profile of the impacted workforce and its transferable skills base;

A series of matched occupational profiles that summarize competencies of

former job titles and potential crossover occupations; and

A profile of demand for crossover occupations including wages and projected

employment.

The targeted audience for the skills transferability reports is NEG project staff who use the

information to design the program intervention and to provide direct counseling to

displaced workers.  In the case of Bath Iron Works, the methodology helped facilitate State‐

local coordination in project planning as the CWRI representatives worked with local

workforce staff in intelligence‐gathering on the layoff occupations and beginning to map

identified skills with growth jobs and industries in the region.  While ultimately many Bath

Iron Works workers were recalled, the analytic methodology that had its roots in this

dislocation event has been honed and refined in the years that followed.  During this time,

skills transferability analyses have been performed for about a dozen major layoffs and

closings.  The occupational demand data are also used by policy makers in creating

priorities for types of training that will be supported.  Over time, Maine has also learned

that the data are valuable to economic developers in educating potential employers about

the skills of the available workforce.

CWRI provides training to One‐Stop Career Center staff on using the skills transferability

analyses.  Once a report is completed, CWRI staff members visit the NEG project location to

discuss the report’s findings and potential uses.  The training typically addresses such topics

as:

1. Occupational coding and distinctions between SOC and O*Net codes;

2. Understanding and interpreting the O*Net occupational profiles;

3. Matching profiles of workers’ previous jobs to potential new occupations; and

4. Addressing of potential limitations of the data.

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One of the challenges in producing skills transferability analyses is timeliness.  Ideally,

reports are completed by the time NEG funds are received so that findings can immediately

be put to use.  Timely data will expedite planning and enable services to be provided more

quickly and efficiently to dislocated workers.  The need for a quick turnaround underscores

the importance of minimizing time lags often associated with researching layoff

occupations.  As Maine staff gained experience in producing skills transferability analyses,

they created time‐saving efficiencies in the process.  For example, they developed templates

and customized computer programs to reduce preparation time.  Another challenge in

creating these reports is to convey the data in a form that is readily usable by project staff

and counselors.  Initially, Maine’s skill transferability reports contained long occupational

profiles, but over time, staff learned to streamline presentations and make the information

more accessible.

OREGON’S JOB SEEKER DATA TOOLS AND USABILITY ANALYSIS 

Oregon has also created effective data tools that support the implementation and operation

of NEG activities.  The importance of these tools was underscored during the 2005 NEG

response to the two major dislocations in the State.  The tools were able to support both the

technologically adept population displaced at Hewlett‐Packard and the more traditional

manufacturing workforce at Amalgamated Sugar.  Workers from both settings used the

information systems to identify and explore options in the high‐demand medical field and

ultimately pursue employment in that sector.

Oregon has emphasized the development of online sources of labor market data that can be

readily accessed by job seekers and local career counselors.  While these tools draw on

standard data sources and widely available inputs, their accessibility and user‐friendliness

have uniquely advanced the job search capacity of dislocated workers in the State.  

Specifically, the Research Division of Oregon’s Employment Department has created four

online labor market data tools for job seekers to use:

1.  Occupational Information Center:  This tool enables job seekers to find in one place all

available information on an occupation.  The reports include such information as projected

employment, wages, skills, and education requirements as well as relevant schools and

training providers.  When the user focuses on an occupation of interest, there is a link to job

listings, so that job seekers can immediately see and apply for positions.

2.  Occupation Explorer:  Job seekers can use this tool to find occupations that match their

own qualifications and interests as based on factors such as educational requirements,

desired wages, employment prospects, etc.  The site displays occupations that meet the

criteria, and each contains a live link to a full and more detailed report on that job title.  

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3.  Skill Explorer:  This tool enables users to, in effect, do their own skills transferability

analysis by plugging in their own skill set and seeing matching occupations.  When a job

seeker selects an occupational grouping in a field that matches his/her current work, the site

then provides a list of skills associated with that family of jobs.  The user then selects those

skills pertaining to his/her own qualifications, and the Web site will produce a listing of

occupations in other fields for which the job seeker would be qualified.  It also displays the

percentage of skills matching for each occupation.2

4.  iMatchSkills:  This tool matches job seekers with job listings according to the

individual’s skills.  Users enter their skill set, and the site displays job listings that match the

skills from Oregon’s job bank.  All unattached UI claimants are required to be registered

with iMatchSkills.

The first three tools integrate occupational projections data, and iMatchSkills focuses on

current job openings so that job seekers are continuously able to target high growth jobs and

industries as well as current openings.

Products, End Users of the Data, and the Importance of Training.  The principal users of Oregon’s

tools are job seekers and One‐Stop Career Center staff, especially case managers.  The State

has placed considerable emphasis on making sure that these target audiences can easily use

the tools.  To this end, the Research Division has conducted some 400 training sessions for

One‐Stop Career Center staff on using the State’s labor market information online services.  

The training emphasizes helping clients use the tools to:

1. Profile particular occupations of interest;

2. Examine training requirements and potential training resources;

3. Explore the viability of alternative occupational choices by examining local

demand; and

4. Identify specific occupations with greatest growth and demand potential.

Displaced workers in both the Hewlett‐Packard and Amalgamated Sugar NEG projects

benefited considerably from the online tools.  Most Hewlett‐Packard workers were

technically adept—they were mainly technicians or held administrative and managerial

positions—and so were very quick to use the online tools to aid their job searches.  Using

the online tools, Hewlett‐Packard workers were able to identify other employers in the State

who hired workers with their competency profile and experience.  For others who needed to

or were motivated to switch  careers, the tools were used to assess demand and salary

information as part of their decision to pursue others careers, most typically healthcare

 2

 Unlike Maine and Missouri, Oregon does not use O*Net but rather uses its own skills database that predates

O*Net and which Oregon updates regularly to reflect new jobs emerging in the State’s economy.

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Abt Associates/Workforce Learning Strategies

related.  The manufacturing workers at the

Amalgamated Sugar project, on the other

hand, had little experience using computers

and benefited from the assistance of Case

Managers.  Using the tools, a number of

Amalgamated Sugar workers also identified

growing occupations in the allied health

arena and chose to pursue training in those

fields.  

Oregon places a strong emphasis on the

usability of these support resources.  The

Research Division has devoted significant

resources to assuring that the extensive data

are converted into tools that are both

accessible and easily understandable by job seekers and NEG project counselors.  In pursuit

of this goal Oregon’s LMI office has hired a Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) to oversee the

work of both refining existing tools and evaluating the new tools.  The CUA discusses these

insights with information technology staff in the Systems Development unit on a regular

basis, and the tools are modified accordingly.  

Transforming Data into 

Information 

 Maine trains program staff in 

using Skills Analysis information

 Missouri’s Impact Analyses use 

graphs to effectively and clearly 

convey data about impacted 

workers 

 Oregon‘s Certified Usability 

Analyst tests all labor market 

information tools with users 

before any tool is published 

REEMPLOYMENT THROUGH NEG PROMISING PRACTICES 

The strategic use of labor market data in the preparation and planning of a response to a

major dislocation can help to maximize the reemployment potential of dislocated workers.  

The effective use of labor market data is a crucial component in establishing a level of

preparedness to respond to dislocations as well as in the planning and implementation of

specific program interventions.  Statewide systems to produce and analyze regional labor

market data provide a more immediate understanding of the ramifications of the

dislocation.  This can, in turn, help to jump‐start the NEG application and planning process

by providing direct input into decisions regarding the investment of training and education

resources.  From a program implementation perspective, the use of labor market data can

also directly support both the enrollment and placement functions.  When information on

skills transferability is readily available (particularly through online tools), dislocated

workers are able to make more informed decisions about their career and training options

and better focus their job search efforts.

1

PEER CONTACTS 

Maine 

John Dorrer, Division Director 

Center for Workforce Research and Information 

Maine Department of Labor 

(207) 621-5179 

john.dorrer@maine.gov

Merrill Huhtala, Senior Economic Research Analyst 

Center for Workforce Research and Information 

Maine Department of Labor 

(207) 621-5196 

merrill.s.huhtala@maine.gov

Missouri 

Mary Bruton, Workforce Analysis Manager 

Missouri Economic Research and Information Center 

Missouri Department of Economic Development 

(573) 751-3635 

mary.bruton@ded.mo.gov

Oregon 

Gary Gipson, Manager 

Systems Development, Research Division 

Oregon Employment Department 

(503) 947-1837 

gary.d.gipson@state.or.us