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ANNUAL REPORT FY 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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In Guatemala, nine-year old Wendy used to wake up early each morning to go to the river and break stones. Her family has broken stones their whole lives to survive. But now, her mother, Palestina, has her own business and Wendy and her three siblings attend school. This was all made possible through support from a DOL-funded International Labor Organization project targeting working children and their families in the stone-quarry sector. Wendy is very happy with the changes in her life. She likes being in school and spending time with her friends. Her mother is optimistic about what the future holds: "Perhaps I will never stop being poor," she says, "but my children will have more opportunities, as will their children." |
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Photo from: USDOL/ILAB archive |
The FY 2001 Annual Report is divided into three major sections.
The Annual Performance Report
reflects both the
progress realized and the setbacks encountered in achieving the
Departments three strategic goals APrepared Workforce, A Secure
Workforce, and Quality Workplaces. Through statistics,
analysis, and the stories of individuals, the Annual Performance Report
illustrates the contributions of DOL programs to prepare the nation's workers
and their families to achieve their aspirations in the dynamic and challenging
environment of the 21st Century workforce.
Jessica is a native of Ohio. In
her quest for a good job, she realized she needed more education, which she
could not afford. Although she had a high school diploma, she could not find a
job. At the age of 21, she entered a Job Corps Center looking to further her
education and to become better prepared for the workforce. She completed her
training in the clerical skills area as an "advanced completer" just six months
after arriving at the Center. She next enrolled in a local Community college,
where she maintains a 3.16 grade point average, while majoring in Computer
Information Systems. Jessica was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship, which
she plans to use to pursue her four-year Bachelors degree in Computer
Science. |
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Photo from: DOL/ETA/Job Corps |
The Financial Performance Report
demonstrates our
commitment to effective stewardship over the funds DOL receives to carry out
the mission of the Department, and includes the FY 2001 financial statements
and the Inspector Generals audit of those statements.
The Management and Performance Challenges section of this report summarizes the top 10 challenges identified by the Departments Inspector General and the Departments progress and plans to meet these challenges. Both the Annual Performance Report and the Financial Performance Report discuss in detail the challenges the Department is encountering as it moves toward higher levels of excellence in the delivery of key services to the Departments customers.
A summary of each of the three sections follows.
I. THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORTFY 2001 marks the third year that the Department of Labor along with other Federal Agencies has reported program results against the goals in the annual performance plan. In addition to the Departments Annual Performance Plan, each DOL agency developed an Annual Performance Plan. Over 200 performance goals included in these plans have provided a basis for targeting and measuring the accomplishments of DOL programs. Those goals that are key to the accomplishment of DOLs programs were selected from agency plans and included in the FY 2001 Departmental Performance Plan, providing a basis for assessing the Departments effectiveness in providing core services to our constituents, as well as the performance of individual DOL agencies.
The FY 2001 Annual Report includes descriptions of the Departments strategic goals, the ensuing outcome goals, and a presentation of program results for two measurement years, Fiscal Year 2001 and Program Year 2000. The Departments Employment and Training Administration includes some programs which are forward-funded and follow a program year that begins nine months after the fiscal year for which program funding was received. These goals were included in the FY 2000 Annual Performance Plan and address programs funded in the FY 2000 budget for a program year beginning July 1, 2000 and ending June 30, 2001.
The Appendices provide additional details and explanatory materials supporting the program results. Of particular note is Appendix 2, which lists the performance goals included in this report and identifies the time period of measurement and a summary assessment of the results reported for each goal.
Program Performance Overview
Of the 48 performance goals presented in the FY 2001 Annual Performance Report, the Department exceeded or fully achieved 60.4 percent of its goals, substantially achieved 6.3 percent, and did not achieve 33.3 percent. Performance results declined from FY 2000, when the Department fully achieved 76 percent of the goals, substantially achieved an additional 15 percent and did not achieve 9 percent of the goals. The assessment category of substantially achieved acknowledges program performance where results were close to achieving the target (attained 80 percent or more of the targeted goal).
Several factors, including the economy and the increased outcome-orientation of the Departments goals influenced program results during FY 2001. For example, as the Departments job training programs under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) placed a new emphasis on longer-term employment outcomes, the slowing pace of the economy prompted employers to reduce their labor forces with a disproportionate impact on the most recently hired workers including WIA participants. The increased outcome focus of the Departments goals, as in the case of the WIA goals, introduces a much greater number of factors outside the control of program managers and raises the difficulty of achieving such goals. Notwithstanding these challenges, the Department fully accepts our responsibility and accountability for achieving goals that target improving performance in the key results that DOLs programs are expected to deliver on behalf of Americas workers.
To improve achievements in FY 2002 and bring DOL closer to the ultimate objective of a performance- based organization one that manages programs by using performance information to achieve planned results the Department has introduced several initiatives under the leadership of the newly established Management Review Board, chaired by the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management and comprised of the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Secretary, and the Assistant Secretaries and heads of major agencies. The performance agreements or standards used to evaluate the performance of individual DOL executives and managers have been revised to institutionalize personal accountability for achieving the Departments performance goals. The Management Review Board members have reinstated the practice of meeting at mid-year and year end with the Deputy Secretary to review performance progress and results, providing a capstone to a management oversight process supported by regular program reviews at lower levels of management in individual DOL agencies.
Planning efforts during FY 2001 focused on assessing the relationship between program strategies and performance goals, and the Department will intensify these initiatives during the remainder of FY 2002 as DOL strives to enhance the results of core programs. Program evaluations, which have demonstrated their value to the Departments job training programs, will be extended to other programs to address the causes of shortfalls in performance results, identify more effective and efficient strategies, ensure the accuracy and reliability of performance data, and supplement the performance information available through existing data collection processes. To develop more coordinated strategies for improving the results of cross-cutting programs, with a special emphasis on job training programs and related services, the Department is participating actively in an inter-agency planning workgroup with the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs.
The Management Review Board also provides leadership to the Departments initiatives to advance the Presidents Management Agenda, developing goals and strategies to achieve the Agenda for the Departments FY 2002 and 2003 Annual Performance Plans. Among the Presidents Management Agenda initiatives, the integration of performance and budget represents an important step on the path to a performance-based organization. This report and the Departments FY 2002 Annual Performance Plan present DOLs initial efforts to offer a financial context to our performance objectives. During the remainder of FY 2002, the Department will pilot the development of goals to improve the cost-effectiveness of selected programs and continue efforts to integrate the overall presentation of DOLs budget and performance plans.
The Department recognizes that transitioning to a fully performance-based organization depends upon the availability of reliable and timely information concerning the results of DOLs programs. The challenges to performance measurement vary significantly among DOLs programs, with the data sources and the agencies level of control over the reporting systems representing the primary factors influencing the reliability and usefulness of the Departments performance information. During FY 2001, the Department has continued its progress working with third parties that provide critical performance information about DOLs programs. Most noteworthy is the Employment and Training Administrations development of a verification and validation process to assist its State partners to improve the effectiveness of data-driven management decisions at the State level and to ensure the accuracy of performance data before the States report to the Department. The Office of Inspector General has also expanded its audits of performance information, including data collected by third parties, to assist the Department in identifying data sources requiring attention.
DOL Strategic, Outcome, and Performance Goals
DOLs functions are organized around three strategic goals, which have provided a focus for the Departments strategic planning and a framework for its annual performance plans. These goals build on our successes and respond to the challenge of helping every American participate and prosper in todays economy. Through these strategic goals and their supporting outcome goals, DOL staff and the American public can see a direct link between the Departments purpose and its activities. The three DOL strategic goals are:
DOL Strategic Goals | |
Goal 1. | A Prepared Workforce: Enhance opportunities for America's workforce |
Goal 2. | A Secure Workforce: promote the economic security of workers and families. |
Goal 3. | Quality Workplaces: Foster quality workplaces that are safe, healthy, and fair. |
The Department will revise the Strategic Plan during FY 2002 to highlight the Secretarys 21st Century Workforce initiatives and to refocus the strategic direction of the major DOL programs.
Performance Highlights by Strategic Goal1
Strategic Goal 1, a Prepared Workforce, includes 15 performance goals. Eleven of 15 or 73.3 percent of the goals were fully achieved a decline in performance in comparison to FY 2000, when 93 percent of the goals in this area were achieved. Of the remaining four goals, two were substantially achieved, and two were not met.
Some decline in performance was expected given the major program transition occurring in Youth and Adult training during this first full year of performance under the implementation of the Workforce Investment Act. The new program focus on longer-term retention in employment for adults or in advanced training, education or employment for younger participants, presented the most significant challenge for the job training programs. A downturn in the economy compounded the challenges to retaining employment for participants, since newly hired workers with limited skills and experience generally are laid off first.
Strategic Goal 2, a Secure Workforce, includes 15 performance goals, of which 7, or 46.7 percent, were achieved. Performance in FY 2001 was less than in FY 2000, when 69 percent of the goals were achieved. Of the eight goals remaining, one was substantially achieved, and seven were not met.
DOL continues to strive to increase compliance with labor standards governing wages and work hours in selected low - wage industries and will focus intensively on evaluating the effectiveness of its strategies. Although the overall compliance goals were not achieved, increasing numbers of employers in the industries were paying and employing workers in compliance with the minimun wage and overtime requirements.
The economy adversely affected the achievement of other Secure Workforce goals, particularly the timely payment of benefits to unemployed workers, causing the number of States paying Unemployment Insurance claims on time to decline for the first time since FY 1998. Economic factors leading to workforce downsizing at the U.S. Postal Service restricted employment opportunities for employees recovering from work-related injuries and illnesses, contributing to a Government-wide increase in disability periods following such incidents.
Strategic Goal 3, Quality Workplaces, includes 11 performance goals. Six goals or 54.5 percent were achieved and 5 were not met, representing a decline in performance as compared with FY 2000, when 77 percent of the goals comprising this strategic objective were achieved. Several of the unmet performance indicators were first introduced and measured in FY 2001, and the limited historical data available may have contributed to setting unrealistic targets.
Nearly all goals to improve workplace safety and health goals were achieved and, in some cases, significantly exceeded. In FY 2001, the mining industry, for example, experienced the lowest number of fatalities in the history of the industry. In addition, the five industries characterized by high-hazard workplaces shipyards, food processing, nursing homes, logging, and construction experienced significant reductions in the incidence rates of injuries and illnesses over the last five years.
Program Costs2
The costs for achieving the Departments goals vary significantly as illustrated in the graph on this page and the table presented on the next page. The graph allocates costs by the three strategic goals, depicting that 83 percent of the Departments total FY 2001 net operating costs of $42.5 billion supported the accomplishment of a Secure Workforce, and the majority of those funds provide benefits to unemployed workers or workers disabled as a result of work-related injuries or illnesses. Fifteen percent of the Departments FY 2001 costs contributed to the goal of a Prepared Workforce, providing grants to States and other organizations to offer job training and a host of employment-related services to assist workers to improve their skills and obtain productive, long-term employment. Only two percent of the FY 2001 expenditures contributed to the goal of Quality Workplaces, and the majority of those costs fund the salaries of Federal employees dedicated to improving safety and health in the Nations workplaces.
The DOL goal structure hierarchy includes 10 Outcome goals which further refine the objectives of the Departments three strategic goals. The following table is informative in that it relates DOL FY 2001 program costs to each of the 10 major performance oriented segments of the Departments mission. An analysis of program cost trends covering the last three fiscal years (FY 1999-2001) is included as part of each Outcome Goal description within the Performance Report following the Executive Summary3.
Reporting Performance Results
In this report, performance data and supporting information are presented by strategic goal, following the sequence in the Departments FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan. Each DOL Strategic Goal serves as a category for presenting performance results. Under each Strategic Goal, outcome goals that segment the larger objective of the Strategic Goal into more specific objectives are discussed. This information provides a non-technical orientation on how DOL serves the public in each major area of the overall DOL mission and serves as an introduction to the detailed performance information that follows.
Following each outcome goal, separate reports of results for individual performance goals provide the following information:
Summary comments on any evaluations relevant to the performance goal that were conducted during the year.
DOL Program Costs and Percentage of Costs by Outcome Goal
OUTCOME GOAL | Costs (thousands of dollars) |
Percent |
Strategic Goal 1: A Prepared Workforce: | ||
Increase employment,earnings,and assistance | $3,211,851 | 7.56% |
Increase the number of youth making a successful transition to work | 2,670,933 | 6.29% |
Improve the effectiveness of information and analysis on the U.S.economy | 463,044 | 1.09% |
Strategic Goal 2: A Secure Workforce | ||
Increase compliance with worker protection laws | 299,141 | 0.70% |
Protect worker benefits | 33,833,754 | 79.69% |
Increase employment and earnings for retrained workers | 1,055,751 | 2.49% |
Strategic Goal 3: Quality Workplaces | ||
Reduce workplace injuries,illnesses,and fatalities | 723,594 | 1.70% |
Foster equal opportunity workplaces | 107,681 | 0.25% |
Support a greater balance between work and family | 7,845 | 0.02% |
Reduce exploitation of child labor,strengthen the protection of workers ' basic rights, and improve economic opportunities for workers | 45,407 | 0.11% |
Costs not attributed to programs | 40,865 | 0.10% |
Totals | $42,459,866 | 100% |
Appendices
The following appendices provide supporting information for the performance results presented in the body of the report.
Appendix 1 presents the organizational chart for the Department.
Appendix 2 list each performance goal and idientifies whether or not the goal has been achieved. This section also includes performancer goals that were eliminated or revised subsequent to the release of the FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan. The Appendix also lists the measurement period for the performance data addressed in the performance goals.
Appendix 3 includes a listing of significant evaluations of DOL programs conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO), OIG, and other organizations during FY 2001.
Appendix 4 contains supporting information for each performance goal including the performance indicator, source of data, baseline data, and any comments pertinent to data collection.
Appendix 5 is the glossary of acronyms used in this document.
Appendix 6 includes a listing of DOL internet links.
II. THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
In FY 2001, the Department of Labor maintained its outstanding record in financial management. Under the Government Management Reform Act (GMRA) and the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFOA), all Federal agencies are required to produce annual financial statements and to have those statements audited.
The Departments Inspector General issued an unqualified, or "clean," opinion on the financial statements, marking the fifth consecutive year that DOL has attained this highest level of financial performance. The audit report also states that no material weaknesses were found in the Departments system of internal controls that would affect the financial statements accuracy. In addition, all financial systems at the Department were in compliance with the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA). This marked the completion of a multi-year effort to bring DOLs systems into full compliance.
The Department is shifting its managerial cost accounting efforts from agency-specific pilots to a department wide approach. Initially these efforts will focus on the development of a high-level departmental cost accounting model. This model will provide improved cost information and support better accountability and resource allocation. Subsequent efforts will target providing more detailed cost information and enhanced reporting capabilities in support of performance budgeting. These cost accounting efforts will significantly enhance management decision-making in the Department by providing accurate, relevant and timely information on the cost of DOL programs.
Christian, who has a severe cognitive disability, is a
Lab Aide on a quality control and materials team for a research institute in a
large university. This team is responsible for the sequencing of genes from
clones. Christian labels the plates that carry the genetic material. He has
this job thanks to his job coach at the Institute for Community Inclusion, a
DOL project grantee in a major U.S. city. This project, which is coordinated
through the DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy, encourages employers to
raise their expectations of persons with disabilities and to consider hiring
people with significant disabilities in non-stereotypical jobs consistent with
the individuals interests and abilities. Christians supervisor
says, "Christian does a very good job here. He pays close attention to detail.
If Christian did not do his job properly, for each batch of plates that were
improperly labeled, we would lose somewhere around $300,000 per day. I trust
him to do his job every day." |
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Photo from: DOL/ODEP |
Financial Resources and Results of Operations
The accompanying principal financial statements summarize DOLs financial position, net cost of operations and changes in net position, provide information on budgetary resources and financing and present the sources and disposition of custodial revenues for fiscal years 2001 and 2000. Highlights of the financial information presented in the principal statements are shown below:
Net Cost of Operations
Net Results of Operations
Financial Position
Limitations on the Principal Financial Statements
The principal financial statements report the financial position and results of operations of DOL, pursuant to the requirements of U.S.C. 3515(b). The statements have been prepared from the books and records of DOL in accordance with OMB prescribed formats. The statements are different from the financial reports used to monitor and control budgetary resources, which are prepared from the same books and records. The statements should be read with the realization that they are for a component of the U.S. Government, a sovereign entity, and that liabilities reported in the financial statements cannot be liquidated without legislation providing resources to do so.
III. THE MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has identified the following areas to be the most serious management and performance challenges facing the Department of Labor:
The Department recognizes that the ten challenges posed by the Inspector General represent issues of major potential impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Departments programs and operations. The Departments responses identify extensive actions, which have been completed or are currently in progress to address these challenges.
Several of the challenges reference specific concerns reported in detail in OIG audits issued over the past several years, and the majority of these findings, if not already closed, should be corrected within the next year. Other challenges require legislative action or otherwise fall outside of the Departments jurisdiction, as explained in managements response. The Departments responses to other challenges offer systemic performance data to provide readers comprehensive information about the overall effectiveness of a program or area of responsibility.
Thanks to the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF), a leadership program for young people with disabilities, Kim, a youth leadership forum delegate, gained the confidence to apply for the "Visually Impaired Student Congressional Internship Program." As a result, she served as an intern in a Congressional office in Washington, DC, for seven weeks in the summer of 2001. Kim is currently a sophomore at a midwestern university. Another participant in the forum, Miranda, who has a learning disability, has become an active advocate for people with disabilities and has given 15 disability awareness workshops for students in elementary, junior high and high school. She also advocates on her own behalf for accommodations that she had not had in the past. Miranda is currently a senior in high school. |
Where a sustained effort is required over several years to address an OIG management challenge that impacts a core program or management priority, performance goals and strategies are targeted in either the Departmental or agency annual performance plans. For example, plans at the Departmental and agency level are in place to comprehensively address the human capital management challenges faced by the Department. Goals to continuously improve the results of each DOL job training program identified in the challenges are included in the Departments Annual Performance Plan. Finally, other issues raised in the management challenges, such as plans to improve data quality and achieve further integration of budget and performance, are discussed in detail in the Departments Annual Performance Plan. ■
1 The performance goals under the 3 strategic goals total only 41, because they do not include the departmental management goals. DOL exceeded or fully achieved five of its seven management goals
2 Net cost data is presented. Net cost reflects the full cost of each program as assigned by DOL entities to the Departments Outcome Goals less any exchange revenue earned. Full cost consists of (a) both direct and indirect costs, and (b) the costs of identifiable supporting services provided by other segments within the reporting entity and by other reporting entities.
3 The number of Outcome Goals changed from eleven to ten in FY 2001. Accordingly, net costs by outcome goal for FY 1999 and FY 2000, as reflected in the financial statements for these years, have been realigned to provide consistency in the placement of costs for this analysis.
www.dol.gov | |
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