WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) on Wednesday re-introduced the Widening Internet Readiness for Employment Development (WIRED) Act to modernize America’s online job-searching services.
Federal employment assistance services include a one-stop delivery system of more than 3,000 locations nationwide. The WIRED Act would expand one-stop requirements to include online access by directing the U.S. Department of Labor to create guidelines for websites used by one-stop delivery systems. This will dramatically improve their design and enhance virtual job-seeking services.
“We need 21st-century tools to better help a 21st century workforce, and that means letting job seekers use their smartphones and computers to get help finding employment,” Swalwell said. “This bipartisan bill helps us keep up with the times and ensure that working Americans can make a living and build brighter futures for themselves and their families.”
“I’m proud to co-lead this bill to enhance virtual job-seeking services and improve accessibility,” Stefanik said. “The WIRED Act will expand access to online resources, which is critically important to helping North Country residents who are seeking jobs that best suit their skills. This is commonsense reform that will help bring our job-assistance resources into the 21st century, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in bringing it forward.”
The WIRED Act would require the Labor Department to establish standards and best practices for the provision of employment and training services through electronic means by one-stop delivery systems. The services provided online would have to include addresses, hours, and services of physical one-stop centers in a local area; incorporate social media and networking capabilities; be accessible to mobile devices; and provide other employment-seeking assistance.
Previous bipartisan iterations of the WIRED Act were introduced as H.R. 3088 in the 115th Congress, H.R. 3280 in the 114th Congress, and H.R. 4823 in the 113th Congress.
