The Employment Service Agency (ESA) is the autonomous agency within the Michigan Department of Career Development (MDCD) responsible for the state’s Employment Service and Labor Market Information programs. The primary mission of Employment Service (ES) is to help people find jobs and help employers find workers. ES is responsible for the operation of the state’s labor exchange system (the Michigan Talent Bank, located at www.TalentFreeway.org). The primary mission of Labor Market Information (LMI) is to collect, develop and analyze data and communicate information about the state and local labor markets to the general public and to develop labor statistics on the state and its major labor markets for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Employment Service Agency programs include the following:

• The Employment Service program provides services to job seekers online through the Michigan Talent Bank and through the more than 100 Michigan Works! Service Centers statewide. These services include assistance with writing and posting a resume online, labor market information, job search assistance, and employment planning. The program also provides services for employers, including the opportunity to post job openings online and access resumes through the Michigan Talent Bank.
  
  
• The Labor Market Information program develops and disseminates state and local estimates of labor market activity and other related labor market information for policy development, program planning, job placement, and career decisionmaking. Additional activities include development of labor market information publications and other products.
  
  
• The Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) and Disabled Veterans Outreach Workers (DVOWs) programs target the special employment needs of U.S. military veterans by providing intake and assessment, counseling, testing, job search assistance, referral, and placement services. These veterans’ employment specialists consist of a veterans’ program coordinator and LVERs and DVOWs who are located at Michigan Works! Service Centers and outreach locations throughout the state.
  
  
• The Agricultural Services (Migrant and Seasonal Outreach Worker) Program assists agricultural employers to recruit workers and help migrant and seasonal farm workers obtain and retain employment both within the agricultural sector as well as in non-agricultural occupations. This program includes local office staff for migrant and seasonal outreach and bilingual service activities at Michigan Works! Service Centers and outreach locations in agricultural areas of the state.
  
  
• The Alien Labor Certification Program monitors the process employers must use to document that their hiring needs cannot be met by U.S. workers. Different
  procedures and standards are used depending on whether the employer is recruiting permanent or temporary workers and based on the type of work. The types of certification include Permanent Labor Certification, H-2B Temporary Certification, H-2A Temporary Agricultural Certification, and H-1B Labor Condition Certification.
  
  
• The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA-TAA) Program provides assistance to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports. Eligible individuals may continue to receive unemployment insurance benefits while in training and may also receive extended Trade Readjustment Act (TRA) benefits while in training. The Trade Readjustment Act requires that each state provide adjustment assistance, such as counseling, testing, training, placement, and other supportive services for workers adversely affected by foreign competition.