Overview

Founded in 2007, the National Labor Exchange (NLx) is an electronic labor-exchange network created via partnership agreement between NASWA and DirectEmployers Association (DirectEmployers). The public-private partnership leverages private nonprofit-owned technology with state workforce agency resources to operate the national labor exchange (digital platform) for the U.S.

• The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, D.C. and U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, business and wage and hour services, in addition to administering the unemployment insurance, veteran reemployment, and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development.
• DirectEmployers Association is a nonprofit HR consortium of leading global employers formed to improve labor market efficiency through the sharing of best practices, research, and the development of technology. DirectEmployers is managed by a Board of Directors consisting of member company representatives. The consortium offers employer members: 1) a strategic recruiting community where ideas, resources, and practices are shared; 2) processes, technologies, and standards that are shaped; and 3) technology used in a manner which acknowledges, values, and respects diversity and reflects the rich array of cultures represented in a broad global workforce.

The mission of the NLx is to provide the most accurate and comprehensive collection of real online job openings to achieve the highest level of efficiency for the nation's labor exchange – at no additional cost to state workforce agencies, employers, and job seekers. The NLx vision is to provide the nation with an accurate understanding of the current labor market to improve labor exchange efficiency to better serve the nation's diverse workforce.

The NLx collects and distributes job openings exclusively found on over 25,000 corporate career websites and state job banks. There are millions of job openings on the NLx at any given time. All NLx services are offered at no cost to state workforce agency customers—to jobseekers, employers,  state workforce agencies, and federal partners.

Process

The NLx gathers currently available and unduplicated job opportunities from verified employers, and pushes that content into state workforce agency sites, federal portals, and multiple syndication sites, to reach a maximum number of jobseekers. Regardless of where jobseekers discover an NLx job opening, they will be returned to the point of origination (the corporate career website or the state job bank).

• The NLx collects and distributes job openings exclusively found on corporate career websites, state job banks, and usajobs.gov (federal jobs portal).
• The NLx allows state job banks to seamlessly receive and share job openings collected by either state agency staff or DirectEmployers technology.
• Job feeds are refreshed and shared with states daily. The previous day's file is eliminated and replaced with a new one – ensuring job listings are current and reflect what is posted and advertised on corporate career sites and state workforce agency job banks.
• All job openings are unduplicated, currently available, and from vetted employers.
• To avoid duplication and expired links, the NLx does not index third party sites or job boards. This provides better employment outcomes and user experience.

NLx Research Hub

The NLx Research Hub provides workforce development professionals, academic researchers, and other organizations that rely on labor market information with high-quality, transparent, real-time, and historical data that represents the diversity of jobs available in the U.S. labor market. Workforce development professionals and other approved researchers can use NLx data and tools to conduct inquiries that may increase knowledge around the U.S. labor market to better support the nation’s employers and jobseekers. In the future, the Hub will also provide self-service tools to workers and employers based on real world job opening information.

Other Services

Through this partnership, states workforce agencies have access to the following at no additional cost:

• Job Indexing - Job indexing is automated software that pulls employment opportunities from corporate career websites and adds them to the NLx. Indexing allows states to increase the quantity and variety of job listings in their state job banks at no cost, with minimal staff intervention.
• Microsites - The state microsites are mirror sites to the state workforce agency job banks, providing an increased presence on search engines such as Google to help reach additional jobseekers. Each state has the option of developing 5 microsites at no cost, which can focus on certain industries or categories of individuals (veterans, disabled workers, youth etc.).
• Hosted State Job Banks - The NLx provides a no-cost labor exchange solution tailored to the preferences of the state workforce agency. In addition to cost savings, this option offers hosted states the full breadth of NLx benefits and services.
• OFCCP compliance - The NLx feed is an approved and accepted delivery method of job openings from covered federal contractors and subcontractors to states with a formal signed NLx agreement. After receiving and processing the daily feed, states participating in return receipt send a file back to DirectEmployers which includes all the jobs that have been posted to their state job bank. DirectEmployers uses this information to create individualized employer reports for their member companies. Selected state staff can also access return receipt information to respond to requests from OFCCP auditors seeking proof of job listing and posting.
• Jobseeker analytics - DirectEmployers offers an analytics dashboard tool enabling state workforce agency staff to view transactional data about jobseeker behavior. In addition, DirectEmployers member companies can track hiring information online for each state job bank, offering the system tangible information about the value of the state online self-services.
• Hilton Honors Military Program - Developed through the NLx partnership, the Hilton Honors Military program is a partnership between NASWA and Hilton Worldwide. Veterans engaged with their state workforce agency can receive points toward hotel stays for related job search activities.

Industry Solutions

Industry solutions apply to:

• Workforce Development
• Unemployment Insurance
• Economic Development
• Education
• Human services
• Education
• Corrections
• Data Products & Services

Partners/Members 

• All 50 state workforce agencies, plus District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have signed participation agreements with DirectEmployers Association (DE) to run the NLx through 2027.
• DE provides the technology services and operations for the NLx.
• All 54 NASWA members receive job feeds from DE and integrate them in their job banks per their individual policies and procedures.

Resources

National Labor Exchange | National Association of State Workforce Agencies (naswa.org)

NLx Research Hub

UI Information Technology Support Center (UI ITSC) | National Association of State Workforce Agencies (naswa.org)