From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Programs Designed to Help Workers Facing Economic Disruptions Description: U.S. workers, companies, and communities have often needed to alter how they work or operate because of external forces, such as trade agreements and defense or energy policy changes. Perhaps no single shift has impacted workers and companies like the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We talk to Cindy Brown Barnes about a recent review of federal programs meant to help workers adjust to these disruptions. Related GAO Work: GAO-20-521, Economic Adjustment Assistance: Actions Needed to Better Address Workers’ Needs and Assess Program Effectiveness Released: July 2020 [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Grantees using funding from Economic Adjustment Assistance programs can help workers navigate financial and personal hardships. [Holly Hobbs:] Hi, and welcome to GAO's watchdog report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Holly Hobbs. Millions of U.S. workers have lost their jobs due to external factors such as trade agreements, energy policy changes, and other economic forces that drive changes in immigration, globalization, automation, and more. Perhaps no single shift has impacted workers and companies like the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However even before the pandemic workers faced considerable changes caused by external factors. Today we talk to Cindy Brown Barnes, an expert on employment and training programs, and a director in our Education, Workforce, and Income Security team, about a recent review of federal programs meant to help workers adjust to these disruptions. Thank you for joining us, Cindy. [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Thank you for having me. [Holly Hobbs:] So, Cindy, are Economic Adjustment Assistance programs being used to respond to the coronavirus pandemic? [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Yes, they are. We know that the pandemic has prompted mass layoffs as some employers sold their businesses. At the same time, other employers face a shortage of skilled workers. Both of these dynamics will increase the need for training and career services. Although the majority of our work was conducted prior to the start of the pandemic, addressing the challenges we identified for workers and grantees of Economic Adjustment Assistance programs will be even more critical in light of the current pandemic. [Holly Hobbs:] And, can you give us an idea of what that assistance looks like? [Cindy Brown Barnes:] We found four programs and one tax credit that provide assistance to dislocated workers. For example, the Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program is intended to provide dislocated workers adversely affected by trade with opportunities to obtain the skills, credentials, resources, and support necessary to return to the workforce in an in demand industry. The program provides workers with training, employment and case management services, allowances for job searching relocation expenses, and certain workers may also receive income support. [Holly Hobbs:] So, what challenges might workers face when they're trying to get access to this assistance? [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Eligible workers often are unaware of the Economic Adjustment Assistance benefits and services available to them. Or they may also be reluctant to use the Economic Adjustment Assistance programs out of a belief that their job or their industry will return, or just out of a sense of pride or a desire to not ask for help. Even once they are enrolled in the Economic Adjustment Assistance programs, there is a whole new set of challenges that emerge because workers often need additional supportive services that fall outside the scope of the grant project such as childcare and transportation. Lastly, there have also been delays in the Department of Labor processing of the National Dislocated Worker Grant. [ Music ] [Holly Hobbs:] So, it sounds like Economic Adjustment Assistance programs could help a lot of workers during difficult times, and that they might play an important role under the COVID-19 disruptions. But workers could also struggle to gain access to this assistance. Cindy, did we make any recommendations for how these programs could better meet workers' needs? [Cindy Brown Barnes:] We made several recommendations to improve the program. Although some grantees have identified strategies that they use to mitigate these challenges, grantees lack opportunities to share information. We recommend that the Department of Labor develop additional mechanisms for information sharing among national dislocated workers grantees so that the grantees have more opportunities to share best practices to be able to assist the dislocated worker. We also recommended that the Department of Labor and the Appalachian Regional Commission share more information with one another on their grant decisions so that they can make sure workers are getting the services that they need. And to help ensure that dislocated workers receive timely assistance, we recommended that the Department of Labor analyze the reasons for the delays in processing the national dislocated worker grant applications and their modifications. [Holly Hobbs:] Cindy, last question: What's the bottom line of this report? [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Grantees using funding from Economic Adjustment Assistance programs can help workers navigate financial and personal hardships. They need skills to obtain reemployment. These programs will play a crucial role as the nation grapples with extensive job losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. By implementing our recommendations, federal agencies can help to ensure that they're addressing workers' needs. [Holly Hobbs:] That was Cindy Brown Barnes talking about GAO’s recent review of Employment Adjustment Assistance programs. Thank you for your time, Cindy. [Cindy Brown Barnes:] Thank you. It was my pleasure. [Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to the watchdog report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple podcast. And make sure you leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit us at GAO.gov.