Provide Employment Opportunities

Employers, federal agencies, and federal government contractors are interested in knowing whether programs designed to employ specific groups, such as people with disabilities or veterans, are succeeding (Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973).

State and local agencies use these statistics to:

• Identify labor surplus areas (areas with people available for hiring and training).
• Plan workforce development programs, including job fairs and training programs.
• Promote business opportunities.

Ensure Equal Opportunity

We want to know more about people who are employed or looking for work in combination with age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, disability status, veteran status, and other data, to help governments and communities enforce laws, regulations, and policies against discrimination in employment. For example, labor force data are used to enforce nondiscrimination in employment by federal agencies, private employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations (Civil Rights Act of 1964).

Understand Changes

Information on the characteristics of people who are working or looking for work is an important part of estimating changes in the economy. Labor force estimates are used in funding decisions; to ensure surveys are accurate, including surveys that provide official labor market estimates; and to understand change in other data (Wagner-Peyser Act and Workforce Investment Act).