Public workforce programs during the Great Recession

This article uses data from the recently compiled Public Workforce System Dataset to assess the response of selected federal workforce programs to the 2007-2009 recession. The analysis indicates that these programs responded quickly to the economic downturn, providing timely relief for a large number of unemployed workers. Supplemental funding secured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also enabled federal workforce programs and state agencies to pay benefits for longer durations and to offer expanded training and reemployment services to program participants.