Many federal contractors are concerned about how they will meet their compliance requirements once America’s Job Bank phases-out at the end of June. We have been closely monitoring the latest developments on this phase-out in the following report.
DOL ETA Issues April 3 Notice on AJB Phase-Out
Emily Stover DeRocco, Assistant Secretary, DOL Employment and Training Administration, issued a notice on April 3, 2007 to inform the states and local areas about the phase-out of America’s Job Bank (AJB) scheduled for June 30, 2007 and the transition actions that ETA is conducting.
According to the notice, ETA’s transition plan for the phase-out of AJB includes developing the ability to direct businesses and job seekers to both public and private sector job banks that are comparable to AJB. This will be accomplished by providing a ‘list of Web links’ to qualified Web sites on a Web splash or notification page during the AJB phase-out period. The ‘list of web links’ will also include all state workforce agency job banks, and it will be available for a period of approximately six months beginning in late Spring.
On January 25, 2007, ETA published a notice in the Federal Register (72 Fed.Reg. 3425) whereby private sector organizations operating private and non-profit sector job banks or bulletin boards that provide functionality similar to AJB and wanted to be considered for inclusion on the ‘list of Web links’ were invited to submit information about the services they provide.
National Association of State Workforce Agencies Selects JobCentral National Labor Exchange
On March 21, 2007, The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) announced that it had selected JobCentral National Labor Exchange to provide job seekers, employers and states a cost-effective transition from America’s Job Bank when it is discontinued on June 30, 2007. NASWA is an organization of state administrators of unemployment insurance laws, employment services, training programs, employment statistics and labor market information and other programs and services provided through publicly-funded state workforce systems.
Richard A. Hobbie, Executive Director of NASWA, said, “With the planned phase out of AJB by the U.S. Department of Labor, NASWA needed to act fast to help states implement a successor. The JobCentral National Labor Exchange is designed to do that and more.”
In addition to JobCentral National Labor Exchange, which is owned and managed by DirectEmployers Association, there is at least one other organization that has announced services intended to replace AJB. NaviSite, a for-profit company that has operated America’s Job Bank for several years as a contractor has also announced it intends to continue services through America’s Job Exchange services.
DCI will continue to monitor AJB transition developments closely and provide periodic updates.
By Patricia A. Schaeffer, Vice President-Regulatory Affairs
