ERIC Number: ED603089
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Making Wage Data Work: Creating a Federal Resource for Evidence and Transparency
Pena, Christina
Workforce Data Quality Campaign
Administrative data on employment and earnings, commonly referred to as wage data or wage records, can be used to assess the labor market outcomes of workforce, education, and other programs, providing policymakers, administrators, researchers, and the public with valuable information. However, there is no single readily accessible federal source of wage data which covers all workers. Noting the importance of employment and earnings data to decision makers, the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking called for the creation of a single federal source of wage data for statistical purposes and evaluation. They recommended three options for further exploration: (1) expanding access to systems that already exist at the U.S. Census Bureau; or (2) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); or (3) creating a new database at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This paper reviews current coverage and allowable uses, as well as federal and state actions required to make each option viable as a single federal source of wage data that can be accessed by government agencies and authorized researchers. Congress and the President, in conjunction with relevant federal and state agencies, should develop one or more of those options to improve wage information for multiple purposes.
Descriptors: Wages, Employment, Federal Government, Databases, Access to Information, Public Agencies, Insurance, Unemployment, Statistical Data, Shared Resources and Services, Evidence Based Practice, Labor Market, Federal Legislation, Records (Forms)
Workforce Data Quality Campaign. Available from: National Skills Coalition. 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-223-8991; e-mail: info@nationalskillscoalition.org; Web site: https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Skills Coalition, Workforce Data Quality Campaign (WDQC)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A