Section V: Conclusion

Hopefully this publication has given you, its reader, a better understanding of the Wage Records database and its importance in the analysis of Wyoming's labor market. In the past, we have only had a view of the stream's surface. Wage Records data give us a view of what is causing the ripples and a better way to gauge their flow.

In the past, we have only had a view of the Labor Market from the firm level. The Wage Records database now gives us a view from the individual level.

Programs like ES-202 and CES are firm based and give employment as of the week of the 12^th of the month. They show net labor market transactions. Wage Records not only shows all labor market transactions for the quarter but also the individuals that were involved in these transactions. Knowing the individual also allows us to link to other databases to gain additional information. This additional information gives us a better understanding of the makeup of the labor market.
 

Wage Records is a useful tool that we are just now learning to use. In the future, we will undoubtedly develop new techniques for analyzing the labor market using Wage Records. Some areas that will be either expounded on or explored are:

• Evaluation Research--Identify control groups for program evaluation which permit determinations to be made over the role of outside variables (e.g., economic conditions) that compete with program control and management - on a state level.
• Labor Supply--Describe the supply of labor in terms of its distribution, attributes, patterns of market interaction in varying circumstances.
• Policy Analysis--Is the Unemployment Insurance program functioning as intended (i.e., is it responsive to changes in the opportunity structure, are benefit caps set at an appropriate level, would a policy change improve the system)? Similar questions are asked routinely by legislators and other policy makers. Wage Records analysis continues to provide the informational resources to support decision making.
• Local Empowerment--Provide state and local Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) with better information so they can play a more effective role in policy making.
• Turnover Rates--Track worker and job flows in order to compare and replicate at the state level current national research.
• Employment Projections--Distinguish between demand attributable to turnover versus net change in employment.