Skip to content
  ETA Home   Performance and Administration>    

Wage Record Interchange System


The Wage Record Interchange System (WRIS) facilitates the exchange of wage data among participating states for the purpose of assessing and reporting on state and local employment and training program performance, evaluating training provider performance, and for other purposes allowed under the WRIS Data Sharing Agreement. The exchange permits state workforce program performance agencies to secure wage data of individuals who have participated in workforce investment programs in one state, then subsequently secured employment in another. By participating in WRIS, states have a more robust picture of the effectiveness of their workforce investment programs, and are able to report more comprehensive outcomes against their performance measures.

The WRIS Clearinghouse, the technical operation to exchange wage data, is built upon the Interstate Connection Network (ICON) used for the administration of interstate unemployment benefits and is currently operated through a cooperative agreement with the State of Maryland.
Participation in the Wage Record Interchange System
The Employment and Training Administration would like to remind states participating in WRIS of the following:

The Wage Record Interchange System (WRIS) has been developed to facilitate the interstate exchange of wage data between participating states for the purpose of assessing and reporting on state and local performance for programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), under other statutory provisions authorizing programs identified as One-Stop partners in the WIA, and for other purposes allowed under law.

In order for a PACIA to utilize WRIS for research purposes the following limitations are in place:

a) The research and evaluation must relate to one or more programs or an activity set forth in subparagraphs 1 through 4 of paragraph C of Section VII. of the WRIS Data Sharing Agreement, dated 17 February 2011;

b) There are no conditions under which use of Wage Data is approved for research and evaluation without the express, voluntary consent of the participating state whose data are to be used for such purpose.

If there are questions surrounding the use of WRIS, please contact WRIS@dol.gov.

U.S. Map
WRIS Data Sharing Agreement

Access Acknowledgements
Signature Document
  • WRIS Access Acknowledgement Signatures (PACIA and SUIA) ([PDF] or [DOC])

Resources

Archives
Advisory Group

Contact Information
  • WRIS Administration
    Ms. Karen A. Staha, Division Chief,
    Division of Strategic Planning and Performance
    Room: N-5641
    Office of Policy Development and Research

    Kate Louton,
    Analyst,
    Division of Strategic
    Planning and Performance

    Employment and Training Administration
    US Department of Labor
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20210