Access to Workforce Data (US0061)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: United States Action Plan 2015-2017
Action Plan Cycle: 2015
Status: Inactive
Institutions
Lead Institution: The general Services Administration
Support Institution(s): NA
Policy Areas
Access to Information, Open DataIRM Review
IRM Report: United States End-of-Term IRM Report 2015-2017, United States Mid-Term Report 2015-2017
Starred: No
Early Results: Marginal
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information , Technology
Implementation i
Description
The U.S. government spends billions of dollars each year to support many different groups in finding pathways to employment — from veterans to disconnected youth to the unemployed. Until now, however, there has been no easy way for American job seekers, employers, and Federal agencies to get a full picture of the workforce ecosystem to understand challenges and opportunities for these initiatives, as well as to create more effective programs. Through the Workforce Data Initiative, the Administration will increase interoperability of and access
to the workforce data ecosystem, establishing a new baseline from which a new generation of workforce innovation can develop. To achieve this, the United States will focus on improving the Occupational Information Network by defining a schema that establishes interoperability among training, skill, job, and wage listings across the Internet and working with search providers and aggregators to build application programming interfaces to index and make available that same data.
IRM Midterm Status Summary
For details of these commitments, see the report: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/united-states-mid-term-report-2015-2017/
IRM End of Term Status Summary
Commitment 9. Increase Access to Workforce Data
Commitment Text:
Increase Access to Workforce Data to Promote Employment
The U.S. government spends billions of dollars each year to support many different groups in finding pathways to employment — from veterans to disconnected youth to the unemployed. Until now, however, there has been no easy way for American job seekers, employers, and Federal agencies to get a full picture of the workforce ecosystem to understand challenges and opportunities for these initiatives, as well as to create more effective programs. Through the Workforce Data Initiative, the Administration will increase interoperability of and access to the workforce data ecosystem, establishing a new baseline from which a new generation of workforce innovation can develop. To achieve this, the United States will focus on improving the Occupational Information Network by defining a schema that establishes interoperability among training, skill, job, and wage listings across the Internet and working with search providers and aggregators to build application programming interfaces to index and make available that same data.
Responsible Institutions: Department of Labor, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Supporting Institutions: Academia, industry, and other private organizations
Start Date: Not Specified ....... End Date: Not Specified
Commitment Aim
With this commitment, the government aimed to improve the Occupational Information Network by developing an internet-wide inter-operability schema covering training, skills, job, and wage listings. It also aimed to work with search providers and aggregators to develop application programming interfaces that provide access to and index this data.
Status
Midterm: Limited
The government had made limited progress on this commitment at the midterm. Progress on this initiative pertains to the development of the DataAtWork website. The website’s Open Skills Project [112] constitutes part of the Workforce Data Initiative described in the progress report (see the Context and Objectives section under this commitment). As described on its website, the Open Skills Projects “is a public-private partnership . . . focused on providing a dynamic, up-to-date, locally-relevant, and normalized taxonomy of skills and jobs.” Its goal includes reducing “frictions in the workforce data ecosystem by enabling a more granular common language of skills among industry, academia, government, and nonprofit organizations.” [113] By the close of the midterm reporting period, however, neither the inter-operability scheme nor the related application programming interfaces were publicly available via the Open Skills Project. Progress on this commitment was coded as limited at the midterm, in light of the preliminary establishment of the DataAtWork website. [114]
End of Term: Substantial
Progress on this commitment was substantial at the end of term. The Open Skills Project released a taxonomy of skills and jobs that builds upon existing work by O*Net, the Open Knowledge Foundation, and the National Skills Coalition. [115] Data is also accessible via the Open Skills application programming interface (API). [116] As described on the Open Skills API landing page, available data includes job titles and descriptions, and skills associated with a job. Per the Tools and Integrations section of the DataAtWork website, the Open Skills Project has also begun to collect and publish data on wage and employment outcomes by both educational attainment and training. [117] By the close of the end-of-term reporting period, the IRM researcher was unable to document evidence of government engagement with internet search providers and aggregators. In light of unclear progress on this aspect of the commitment, while close to complete, progress on this commitment is considered by the IRM researcher to be substantial at the end of term.
Did It Open Government?
Access to Information: Marginal
This commitment marginally opened government with respect to access to information. As described on the DataAtWork website, “various people working with labor market data, including many of us here at the Center for Data Science and Public Policy, have been working on similar projects for quite some time, and there are already many parts of the solution to a fragmented workforce data ecosystem out there.” [118] The main advancement brought by the Open Skills Project lies in the project bringing “these data sets and ideas together in an effort to increase interoperability and accelorate [sic] innovation, transparency, and opportunity.” Per this same source, the Open Skills Project also distinguishes itself on the basis of several key features. Notably, it stands out for its collaborative nature; transparency of methods, tools, and decision making; ultrasimplicity; web orientation; and focus on reuse of and integration with existing tools. Also distinguishing the project is the fact that the data is “distributed” and “not tied to a given tool or project.”
That said, the improvement in access to information caused by these changes remains difficult to ascertain. To offer one example, a case study appearing on the DataAtWork website describes how Pairin needed more granular data on soft skills than was otherwise available prior to the launch of the Open Skills Project data. [119] Pairin software matches job seekers and employers based on soft skills. The new data schemes established under this commitment made matching more feasible. Still, this example remains an isolated case, and a limited number of case studies (only two) were available on the DataAtWork website at the time of writing. [120] In the absence of clearer case studies for the data schema, and application programming interfaces created as part of the Open Skills Project, this commitment did not lead to a more substantial opening of government.
Carried Forward?
At the time of writing, the US government had not published its fourth national action plan.
This commitment is largely complete and does not need to be explicitly carried forward to a future action plan. However, the government should continue efforts to broaden the use of the Open Skills Project data to position its scheme as the leading taxonomy of workforce data. Doing so would improve its usefulness going forward.
[112] “Open Skills Project,” Data, DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/data/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[113] Ibid.
[114] United States of America, Midterm Self-Assessment Report for the Open Government Partnership: Third Open Government National Action Plan, 2015-2017, September 2016, 11, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/USA_NAP3_self-assessment-report_20160916.pdf, consulted 2 October 2017.
[115] “Data,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/data/, consulted 9 October 2017. See also “FAQ,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/faq/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[116] “Open Skills API,” DataAtWork, http://api.dataatwork.org/v1/spec/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[117] “Tools and Integrations,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/tools/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[118] “FAQ,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/faq/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[119] Michael Simpson, “Case Studies: Pairin,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/case-studies/pairin/, consulted 9 October 2017.
[120] “Case Studies,” DataAtWork, http://dataatwork.org/case-studies/, consulted 9 October 2017.
Commitments
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Federal Data Strategy
US0105, 2019, E-Government
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Grants Accountability
US0106, 2019, E-Government
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Public Access to Federally Funded Research
US0107, 2019, Access to Information
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Workforce Data Standards
US0108, 2019, E-Government
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Chief Data Officers
US0109, 2019, Access to Information
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Open Data for Public Health
US0110, 2019, Access to Information
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Enterprise Objective
US0111, 2019, Capacity Building
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Developing Future Action Plans
US0112, 2019, Public Participation
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Reconstitution of the USA.gov
US0053, 2015, E-Government
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Accessibility of Government Information Online
US0054, 2015, Marginalized Communities
-
Access to Educational Resources
US0055, 2015, Access to Information
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Public Listing of Every Address in the US
US0056, 2015, Access to Information
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Informed Decisions About Higher Education.
US0057, 2015, Access to Information
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New Authentication Tools to Protect Individual Privacy and Ensure That Personal Records Go Only to the Intended Recipients.
US0058, 2015,
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Transparency of Open311
US0059, 2015, E-Government
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Support Medicine Research Throught Opening up Relevant Data of the Field
US0060, 2015, Access to Information
-
Access to Workforce Data
US0061, 2015, Access to Information
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Using Evidence and Concrete Data to Improve Public Service Delivery
US0062, 2015, Capacity Building
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Expand Use of the Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard
US0063, 2015,
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Consolidation of Import and Export Systems
US0064, 2015, E-Government
-
Improving Government Records
US0065, 2015, Access to Information
-
Ammendments to FOIA
US0066, 2015, Access to Information
-
Streamline the Declassification Process
US0067, 2015, Capacity Building
-
Implement the Controlled Unclassified Information Program
US0068, 2015, Access to Information
-
Transparency of Privacy Programs and Practices
US0069, 2015, Capacity Building
-
Transparency of Federal Use of Investigative Technologies
US0070, 2015, E-Government
-
Increase Transparency of the Intelligence Community
US0071, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Science Through Open Data
US0072, 2015, Access to Information
-
Open Data Portal
US0073, 2015, E-Government
-
Increase Transparency of Trade Policy and Negotiations
US0074, 2015, E-Government
-
Develop a Machine Readable Government Organizational Chart
US0075, 2015, Access to Information
-
Improving Public Participation
US0076, 2015, Public Participation
-
Expand Public Participation in the Development of Regulations
US0077, 2015, Public Participation
-
Civic Engagement in Decision-Making Processes
US0078, 2015, Public Participation
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Open Mapping
US0079, 2015, Access to Information
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Tracking OGP Implementation
US0080, 2015, Public Participation
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Strengthening Whistleblower Protection
US0081, 2015, Anti-Corruption
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Transparency of Legal Entities
US0082, 2015, Anti-Corruption
-
Extractive Industries Transparency
US0083, 2015, Anti-Corruption
-
Spending Transparency
US0084, 2015, Access to Information
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Enhance the Use of U.S. Foreign Assistance Information
US0085, 2015, Aid
-
Participatory Budgets and Responsive Spending
US0086, 2015, Fiscal Openness
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Expand Access to Justice to Promote Federal Programs
US0087, 2015, Access to Justice
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Build Safer Communities with Police Open Data
US0088, 2015, Access to Information
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Open Federal Data to Benefit Local Communities
US0089, 2015, Access to Information
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Support the Municipal Data Network
US0090, 2015, Access to Information
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Foster Data Ecosystems
US0091, 2015, Capacity Building
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Extend Digital, Data-Driven Government to Federal Government’S Support for Communities
US0092, 2015, Capacity Building
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Promote Implementation of SDGs
US0093, 2015, Access to Information
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Promote Open Climate Data
US0094, 2015, Access to Information
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Air Quality Data Available
US0095, 2015, Access to Information
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Promote Food Security and Data Sharing for Agriculture and Nutrition
US0096, 2015, Access to Information
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Promote Data Sharing About Global Preparedness for Epidemic Threats
US0097, 2015, Capacity Building
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Promote Global Interconnectivity
US0098, 2015, Aid
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Open Contracting
US0099, 2015, Access to Information
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Harness the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development
US0100, 2015, Access to Information
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Open Government to Support Global Sustainable Development
US0101, 2015, Anti-Corruption
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Open Collaboration Onf the Arctic
US0102, 2015, Environment and Climate
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Support Capacity Building for Extractives Transparency
US0103, 2015, Anti-Corruption
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Support Responsible Investment and Business Practices for Companies
US0104, 2015, Private Sector
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Improve Public Participation in Government
US0027, 2013, Capacity Building
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Modernize Management of Government Records
US0028, 2013, Records Management
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Modernize the Freedom of Information Act
US0029, 2013, Access to Information
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Transform the Security Classification System
US0030, 2013, Records Management
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Implement the Controlled Unclassified Information Program
US0031, 2013, Security & Public Safety
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Increase Transparency of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Activities
US0032, 2013, Data Stewardship and Privacy
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Make Privacy Compliance Information More Accessible
US0033, 2013, E-Government
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Support and Improve Agency Implementation of Open Government Plans
US0034, 2013,
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Strengthen and Expand Whistleblower Protections for Government Personnel
US0035, 2013, Anti-Corruption
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Increase Transparency of Legal Entities Formed in the United States
US0036, 2013, Fiscal Openness
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Implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
US0037, 2013, Access to Information
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Make Fossil Fuel Subsidies More Transparent
US0038, 2013, Anti-Corruption
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Increase Transparency in Spending
US0039, 2013, Access to Information
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Increase Transparency of Foreign Assistance
US0040, 2013, Aid
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Continue to Improve Performance.Gov
US0041, 2013, E-Government
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Consolidate Import and Export Systems to Curb Corruption
US0042, 2013, Private Sector
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Promote Public Participation in Community Spending Decisions
US0043, 2013, Fiscal Openness
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Expand Visa Sanctions to Combat Corruption
US0044, 2013, Anti-Corruption
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Further Expand Public Participation in the Development of Regulations
US0045, 2013, Capacity Building
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Open Data to the Public
US0046, 2013, Access to Information
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Continue to Pilot Expert Networking Platforms
US0047, 2013, Public Participation
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Reform Government Websites
US0048, 2013, E-Government
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Promote Innovation Through Collaboration and Harness the Ingenuity of the American Public
US0049, 2013, Capacity Building
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Promote Open Education to Increase Awareness and Engagement
US0050, 2013, E-Government
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Deliver Government Services More Effectively Through Information Technology
US0051, 2013, E-Government
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Increase Transparency in Spending
US0052, 2013, Access to Information
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Reform Records Management
US0001, 2011, Public Participation
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Lead a Multi-Agency Effort
US0002, 2011, Capacity Building
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Monitor Agency Implementation of Plans
US0003, 2011, Public Participation
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Provide Enforcement and Compliance Data Online
US0004, 2011, Access to Information
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Advocate for Legislation Requiring Meaningful Disclosure
US0005, 2011, Legislation & Regulation
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Apply Lessons from Recovery Act to Increate Spending Transparency
US0006, 2011, Fiscal Openness
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Government-Wide Reporting Requirements for Foreign Aid
US0007, 2011, Access to Information
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Use Performanc.Gov to Improve Government Performance and Accountability
US0008, 2011, Public Participation
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Overhaul the Public Participation Interface on Regulations.Gov
US0009, 2011, Legislation & Regulation
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Launch Expertnet
US0010, 2011, E-Government
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Launch International Space Apps Competition
US0011, 2011, E-Government
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Launch “We the People”
US0012, 2011, E-petitions
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Open Source “We the People”
US0013, 2011, E-petitions
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Develop Best Practices and Metrics for Public Participation
US0014, 2011, Capacity Building
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Professionalize the FOIA Administration
US0015, 2011, Access to Information
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Harness the Power of Technology
US0016, 2011, Access to Information
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Advocate for Legislation on Whistleblower Protection
US0017, 2011, Anti-Corruption
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Explore Executive Authority to Protect Whistleblowers
US0018, 2011, Anti-Corruption
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Implement the EITI
US0019, 2011, Anti-Corruption
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Partnership to Build on Recent Progress
US0020, 2011, Anti-Corruption
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Promote Data.Gov to Spur Innovation Through Open Sourcing
US0021, 2011, Access to Information
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Data.Gov: Foster Communities on Data.Gov
US0022, 2011, Access to Information
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Begin Online National Dialogue with the American Public
US0023, 2011, Public Participation
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Update Government-Wide Policies for Websites
US0024, 2011, Public Participation
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Promote Smart Disclosure to Ensure Timely Release of Information
US0025, 2011, Access to Information
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Publish Guidelines on Scientific Data
US0026, 2011, Access to Information