The Department of Labor's (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy. CEO’s research development process includes extensive technical review at the design, data collection and analysis stage, including: external contractor review and OMB review and approval of data collection methods and instruments per the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), review by academic peers (e.g., Technical Working Groups), and inputs from relevant DOL agency and program officials and CEO technical staff. Final reports undergo an additional independent expert technical review and a review for Section 508 compliance prior to publication. The resulting reports represent findings from this independent research and do not represent DOL positions or policies.

The Chief Evaluation Office is working with various DOL agencies on the studies listed below.
Project Name Purpose
Administrative Data Research And Analysis (ADRA) Studies undertaken under this project will analyze administrative data sets from agencies within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
America's Promise Job-Driven Grant Program Evaluation The purpose of this study is to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of promising and innovative practices for strengthening the pipeline of skilled workers who are prepared to gain or advance in employment in H-1B industries, and to examine program implementation including the use of various funding streams to create sector strategies and develop regional workforce partnerships.
American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) Evaluation The purpose of this study is to evaluate the American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) training programs across all 46 grantees. The AAI programs seek to: increase apprentices' access to high-growth occupations and industries; create career pathways that encompass apprenticeship and align with post-secondary educational opportunities; utilize strategies that increase apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented populations; implement new and innovative public polices or public-private partnerships that increase demand for apprenticeship; and encourage employers to adopt and offer apprenticeship opportunities.
Apprenticeship Evidence-Building Portfolio The primary purpose of the project is to design and conduct analysis to build and expand the evidence portfolio on apprenticeships, including models, components, partnerships, and strategies.
Behavioral Interventions in Labor Programs Evaluation The U.S. Department of Labor Behavioral Interventions project explores how insights from behavioral science can be used to improve the performance and outcomes of DOL programs. It will include evaluations of at least 3-5 behavioral trials.
Career Pathways Descriptive and Analytical Study This project will build evidence on career pathways employment and training strategies and inform further career pathways systems and program development
Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR) To develop and maintain the DOL's research and evaluation clearinghouse website that will provide a central and trusted source of evidence on labor market interventions and innovations relevant to DOL's work.
Community College Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Evaluation To conduct an implementation and outcomes evaluation on innovative models for providing integrated education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities.
Department of Labor Scholars Program To promote and expand labor research that directly relates to DOL policies and programs.
Employer Adoption of Voluntary Health and Safety Standards This study seeks to better understand voluntary consensus standards systems for safety and health management, and the characteristics of, and perceived benefits to, the employers who adopt them.
Employer Performance Measurement Approaches This project studies the appropriateness, reliability, and validity of three performance measures being piloted under the implementation of the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA), as well as analyzes other measures used by states, local areas, and Federal agencies to assess effectiveness in serving employers.
Evaluation Logistics and Technical Support This project will provide logistical and technical evaluation support to CEO in leveraging data and expertise to assemble knowledge and answer questions of interest to DOL.
Family and Medical Leave Act: Wave 4 Surveys The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), enacted in 1993, guarantees eligible U.S. employees of covered employers the right to take unpaid leave to attend to their own medical issues or those of their family. The DOL Chief Evaluation Office commissioned two new surveys to understand the range of perspectives on FMLA in the United States. The studies will update and expand the evidence about FMLA use and leave-taking that has been generated by three prior "waves" of surveys (1995, 2000, and 2012). This "Wave 4" study will be conducted with 4,000 U.S. employees and 2,000 U.S. private-sector businesses.
The Great Recession: Lessons Learned for the Unemployment Insurance System This study will examine critical policy issues and lessons learned regarding the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system’s response to the Great Recession that began in 2007, and the economic recovery that followed.
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Impact Evaluation The goals for this study are to evaluate the effectiveness of Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program on participants’ employment outcomes, using the most rigorous design feasible (experimental or quasi-experimental methods); and to conduct an implementation evaluation to understand program models and variations, partnerships, and the homeless Veterans served.
ILAB EMPOWER Evaluation: Increasing Economic and Social Empowerment The purpose of this study is to design and conduct a rigorous evaluation of the outcomes of DOL's Bureau of International Labor Affairs' EMPOWER grant. This grant aims to combat serious child labor issues in Zambia, particularly for vulnerable girls and their families. It will be implemented primarily in rural areas.
Information on Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Paycheck Plus Site The purpose of this project is to study the impact of an enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income individuals without dependent children in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. This project will build on and leverage research being conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in its collaboration with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), on HHS's Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Paycheck Plus site.
Job Corps Cascades Impact Study The purpose of this study is to design and conduct a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the Job Corps pilot program, the Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy, of the youth served. Cascades will serve high school drop-outs and unemployed youth ages 16 to 21. The pilot aims to provide expanded and intensive academic instruction, career pathways technical training, and non-cognitive skills training in two industry sectors, Health Care and Information Technology.
Job Corps Evidence-Building Portfolio The goals for the project are to (1) develop research and evaluation framework options that will support DOL in ensuring a strategic, continuous learning process responsive to Job Corps’ evidence-building needs, and (2) evaluate innovations in Job Corps services, particularly in demonstration pilots and other service model variations.
Labor Research and Evaluation Grants The purpose of the Labor Research and Evaluation grants is to build evidence around issues of importance to the U.S. Department of Labor and American public, including critical issues related to worker protection, safety and human capital development.
Microsimulation Model on Worker Leave The goal for this study is to produce an open-sourced and public-use version of a worker leave simulation tool, the IWPR-ACM Family Medical Leave Simulation Model. The simulation model provides detailed estimates of the utilization and cost of alternative worker leave scenarios, at the national and state level, based on actual known leave-taking behavior (from DOL’s Family and Medical Leave Act – FMLA- surveys) and the working population’s demographic characteristics (from the American Community Survey - ACS).
National Guard Youth Challenge and Job Challenge Evaluation The purpose of this project is to design and conduct an evaluation to better understand the implementation and outcomes of the National Guard Youth Challenge and Job Challenge program. The evaluation will provide information on the DOL Job Challenge grants and the experiences and outcomes of participants including court-involved youth.
National Health Emergency Demonstration Grants to Address the Opioid Crisis: Implementation Evaluation This study is an implementation evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration’s National Health Emergency (NHE) Demonstration Grants to address the opioid crisis.
OFCCP Compliance Officer Training Study This study will examine the effects of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance officer training on compliance officer behaviors and post-case audits, as well as to gain a greater understanding of the formalized training program.
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Technical Assistance Centers Customer Satisfaction Evaluation The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which customers are satisfied with the technical assistance provide and to document the processes and methods used by the Technical Assistance (TA) Centers to encourage the adoption and implementation of Office of Disability Employment Policy's policies and practices by targeted and untargeted customers.
Pell Grant Experiments (with U.S. Department of Education) To test the impact of 1) expanding eligibility for Pell Grants to students who already have bachelor's degrees and 2) expanding eligibility for Pell Grants to students who enroll in certain short-term vocational or career training programs on educational attainment, employment, and earnings.
Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) National Evaluation The purpose of this study is to identify and document the extent to which the P3 initiative increased coordination across Federal agencies and programs to allow local communities the flexibilities they need to support disconnected youth. Further, based on the results from local evaluations at each of the nine P3 Pilots, the study will highlight effective and promising practices for achieving employment-related outcomes for youth.
Ready to Work Partnership Grants Technical Skills Training Evaluation This project seeks to understand the implementation and effectiveness of select training and related services in the Ready to Work (RTW) Partnership grant program. It includes an implementation study to understand how the programs were designed and implemented and an impact study to measure the effectiveness of these programs in improving participants’ short and long-term outcomes.
Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Evidence Building and Implementation Study This project will include an implementation study of the RESEA program as well as develop strategies to support the evidence requirements in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 that relate to the RESEA.
Reentry Employment Opportunities Evaluation This evaluation will include an implementation and an impact study among select Reentry Employment Opportunities grantees to understand their effectiveness in achieving the goals of improving participant outcomes such as employment, earning, and recidivism.
Stay at Work/Return to Work Models and Strategy Study This study documents and expands the knowledge base of SAW/RTW strategies and identifies promising models and best practices; and develops evaluation design options to build on and add to the evidence produced.
Support to Communities Grant Program Evaluation The implementation study aims to provide new and critical information on promising practices and implementation challenges in providing services that address both employment and treatment needs for those with opioid use disorders (OUDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs).
TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) The purpose of this study is to identify effective approaches for preparing workers for middle- and high-skilled jobs in H-1B industries, with specific focus on individuals who have traditionally faced barriers to training and employment opportunities including youth and young adults, parents with childcare needs, individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with criminal records.
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grants Program Round 4 Evaluation This evaluation includes an outcomes study of selected Round 4 grantees using survey data and administrative records to better understand the characteristics of TAACCCT participants, their service receipt, and their outcomes related to education and employment. Additionally, an implementation study will be conducted of the Round 4 grantees on the service delivery approaches developed and the systems changed through the grants.
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Study: Behavioral Interventions Evaluation and Design Options for Long-Term TAA Evaluation This project will test the application of a behavioral intervention in improving the administration of the TAA program, as well as develop evaluation design options for a rigorous long-term impact evaluation of the TAA program.
Transition Assistance Program Evaluation and Enhancement Pilots To conduct a quasi-experimental impact analysis using administrative data to evaluate the DOL Veterans' Employment and Training Service's Transition Assistance Program.
Unemployment Insurance Deficit Financing Study This study will analyze states' approaches to financing deficits in their Unemployment Insurance (UI) trust funds. The project will describe implementation of the diverse and complex Federal and state statutes and policies and based on these findings develop a simulation model to estimate and compare costs associated with different financing options and approaches.
Wage and Hour Division's Compliance Strategies Evaluation This project has two main objectives. One is to examine the effectiveness of Wage and Hour Division (WHD) compliance strategies. The study will leverage existing government data and/or other open source data in combination with WHD administrative data to understand WHD compliance strategies . The second objective is to develop design options for an impact evaluation of compliance assistance strategies informed by behavioral science.
Workers’ Compensation and the Opioid Epidemic: Analysis and Research Design Options The study will analyze existing evidence and identify innovative interventions and initiatives that may be relevant to the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) client/customer population, and will develop research and evaluation design options for generating new evidence in the field.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Implementation Study This study will document states’ implementation of the core workforce programs authorized under WIOA's Title I (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth) and Title III (Employment Services). It will also explore the role of WIOA in stakeholder integration among programs authorized under Titles II (Adult Education and Literacy) and IV (Vocational Rehabilitation).
Working Conditions and Health in Central America The purpose of this study is to understand the prevalence, nature, and possible consequences of working conditions on employment and health status of the Central American workforce, with a particular focus on work-related violence.
Youth Career Connect Evaluation To conduct an impact evaluation and complementary analysis of Youth Career Connect and to develop a participant tracking system for the program.