Performance Measurement and Analysis: Assisting Labor Agencies

Developing Measures | Software | Verification | Assistance to Local Agencies |
Enforcement Activities | Impact Evaluations | PART Assistance

Performance measurement is an important tool for organizations that want to know whether they are on a path to achieve their goals. Mathematica helps clients monitor, evaluate, and improve their programs using performance measures and other tools. We have assisted state and local workforce offices, as well as a variety of U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) agencies, including the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration (ESA), the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM). For these clients, we have designed performance measures, reporting requirements, and procedures for validating the data reported. Our skilled systems staff have developed software to help agencies collect and validate performance data, prepare performance reports, and manage programs. In addition, our efforts have helped agencies use the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), often by drawing on performance measures, impact evaluations, and other program assessments we developed.

Developing Program Performance Measures and Reporting Specifications 

For over a decade, we have helped ETA develop performance measures and reporting requirements for a variety of programs including  Unemployment Insurance (UI), Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Wagner-Peyser (Labor Exchange-LX), Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), National Farmworkers Job Program (NFJP), H-1B job training, High Growth Job Training Program, and the Community-Based Job Training Program. Mathematica has drafted definitions for measures that correspond to key program objectives and simulated performance rates using alternative definitions. We are assisting ETA with the introduction of OMB's job training and employment common performance measures. We are also helping the Wage and Hour Division develop measures of employers' compliance with minimum wage and overtime laws.

Developing Software for Performance Measurement, Reporting, and Validation

Mathematica has developed data collection, reporting, and validation software for the UI, WIA, LX, TAA, SCSEP, and NFJP programs. We have assisted ETA in assessing and improving the quality of the data underlying performance measures across programs by developing validation software to help states and grantees review the accuracy and consistency of their data and reports. We have also assisted ETA in tracking data and report validation error rates across states and grantees.

Providing Independent Verification and Validation Oversight for System Development

Mathematica supports agency software initiatives by providing a complete package of vendor oversight support. We create system specifications, approve software vendor designs and interfaces, perform systems acceptance and security testing, and monitor vendor performance. We have helped EBSA in overseeing an outsourced, large-scale document processing system through all stages of software development.

Providing Technical Assistance to State and Local Workforce Agencies

Mathematica provides technical assistance on site, as well as by phone and email, to thousands of state and grantee staff on an ongoing basis. We have also delivered on-site and web-based training for states and grantees on how to use performance measurement, reporting, and validation software. We are currently responsible for user documentation and technical assistance for UI, WIA, TAA, LX, SCSEP, and NFJP.

Improving Enforcement Program Activities

Mathematica has helped DOL enforcement agencies use performance measures to better direct their efforts. Our ERISA enforcement project for EBSA analyzed characteristics of pension and welfare plans to help determine plan types that should be targeted for future investigations. Similarly, for the Wage and Hour Division, we have examined which industries and types of establishments have the most severe violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, helping the division prioritize enforcement and compliance assistance activities. For both agencies, we have developed indicators of program effectiveness and efficiency.

Designing and Implementing Rigorous Impact Evaluations

We have designed and conducted many rigorous impact evaluations. These evaluations have helped our clients fulfill OMB PART requirements to conduct "independent evaluations of sufficient scope and quality to support program improvements and evaluate effectiveness." Recent examples include evaluations of DOL's Individual Training Account, Microenterprise, and Job Corps programs. 

Providing PART Technical Assistance

Through the efforts described here, we have helped agencies respond to questions relating to OMB's PART initiative. We have also helped agencies refine the performance measures they report to OMB and Congress for both PART and the Government Performance and Results Act. Many of Mathematica's efforts are cited in DOL PART reports and serve as justification to OMB of agencies' progress in improving program performance.

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