U.S. Employment Service

Rule Changes

As of September 2026: Program at center of the legal dispute

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees sued the Labor Department on September 10 over a rule that ends merit-based hiring at the nation's job-search offices. The rule, published August 20, takes effect October 19. It lets states replace career civil servants with contractors or non-merit staff in the Employment Service, a federal-state program created in 1933.

Updated Sep 11