Wagner-Peyser Act

In an effort to address the unique regional challenges that the system faces in our state, primarily with service accessibility in rural and remote areas and reductions in federal funds, in the summer of 2019 the Idaho Department of Labor implemented new service delivery model. Face-to-face service can now be found in more than 50 communities around the state, a more than 100 percent increase from the agency’s previous brick and mortar offerings.  The new model modernizes how the department delivers services, focusing on increasing IDOL’s presence while decreasing its physical footprint.  It is more adaptable to fluctuations in the economy and empowers staff to be more responsive to community needs.

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ farmworker estimates are significant for the three southern regions of the State. However, IDOL will provide appropriate outreach from its AJCs in the following communities located in these agricultural regions throughout the state:

• Canyon County - Located in city of Caldwell, provides services to Canyon County
• Mini- Cassia - Located in the city of Burley, provides services to Minidoka and Cassia counties
• Pocatello/Blackfoot - Provides services to Bingham, Power, Franklin, Caribou, Bear Lake, Oneida and Bannock counties
• Rexburg - Provides services to Clark, Fremont, Madison, and Teton counties

In addition, during the months of high agricultural activity, the Department may provide or coordinate activities to reach MSFWs in the following communities:

• Bonners Ferry -Provides services to Boundary County
• Magic Valley - Provides services to Twin Falls, Jerome, Gooding, and Lincoln counties
• Mountain Home - Provides services to Elmore and Owyhee counties
• Payette - Provides services to Washington and Payette counties
• Idaho Falls - Provides services to Jefferson, Butte and Bonneville counties

Migrant and/or Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) outreach staff are located in the IDOL American Job Centers and mobile locations listed above to best serve the state’s high agricultural areas. The Department will ensure bi-lingual English/Spanish capability of staff assigned to outreach and ensures multi-lingual access through the use of language line tools to the state’s one stop system.

During each year of this four-year plan, the Department’s Wagner-Peyser (W-P) staff, in collaboration with its partner organizations also serving MSFWs throughout the state, will plan to reach 10% of the estimated migrant/seasonal farmworker population during the peak of the agricultural season in the counties served by outreach offices. As noted by USDOL, these numerical goals are in reference only to the proposed outreach activities and are not negotiated performance targets.

^{*Farmworker population based on counties which make up the AJC regions & service locations.     **Magic Valley - 5% outreach; adjusted due to high dairy count}