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Audit says state agency must better track workforce programs, funding
KEITH ARNOLD
Special to the Legal News
Published: March 3, 2023
A public-interest audit of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services by a team from the state auditor’s office found that the agency should better track the publicly funded workforce-development programs it administers to secure employment for out-of-work Ohioans.
The state receives upwards of $100 million annually from the federal government for unemployment programs, according to a report of the audit.
The Ohio Performance Team found that the agency’s Office of Workforce Development and regional Workforce Development boards should establish a central database of the programming available to jobseekers through local OhioMeansJobs centers.
Additionally, main office and regional boards should better track and verify the required work-search activities for those individuals who receive unemployment assistance.
“One thing I’ve heard repeatedly from employers is the difficulty they have finding skilled workers to fill open positions,” state Auditor Keith Faber said in prepared remarks. “We need to do a better job of tracking how public funds are being spent to help out-of-work Ohioans find and keep jobs to ensure those public resources are being used effectively.”
Faber’s office has conducted various audits and released several reports related to Job and Family Services since 2021, including audits conducted in response to fraudulent unemployment compensation claims issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials reported that the earlier audits raised additional questions related to the agency’s workforce development efforts, prompting the Ohio Performance Team review of the programming funded through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Programming provides job-search assistance, career counseling and training for Ohioans, according to a news release.
Auditors from the team found that additional information could be collected to better gauge the effectiveness of workforce programs, noting that the agency is required to report certain details about how those funds are being spent, in accordance with federal law.
The audit found that “ODJFS does not centrally track programs, partners, or services located at individual workforce development centers,” making it difficult to compare how accessible programs are for individuals across the state.
The audit team noted that part of the challenge is that workforce programming is offered through regional offices, with no central database of programs, partners and services.
Among other recommendations, a report of the team’s findings urged:
• The centralized collection of financial data from local workforce areas, to assist in making improvements and ensuring programs are helping Ohioans find and keep jobs.
• Active, real-time tracking of work-search activities to ensure out-of-work residents are meeting program requirements.
• Further study of the restructuring of local workforce-development areas to best meet the needs of residents in different parts of the state.
“There are jobs available across the state right now,” Faber said. “We should be doing everything in our power to help Ohioans looking for work to find and keep those jobs. We need a better understanding of whether our existing workforce development programs are effective or if improvements need to be made.”
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