The Board of Directors will be meeting virtually from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. All state agency leaders and administrators are eligible to attend. Each eligible attendee will receive a calendar invitation from NASWA Executive Director, Scott B. Sanders. If you believe you are eligible to attend and have not received an invitation, please contact Scott. 

NASWA Welcome and A Word from our Diamond Sponsor

A panel of economic experts sharing insights on the economy and labor market.

Visit with conference sponsors in the virtual Exhibit Gallery

A Word from our Platinum Sponsors and Plenary Panel on Reemployment and Recovery

Visit with Sponsors in the virtual Exhibit Gallery

This will include NASWA 2021 association year elections and other business. Please note: NASWA state agency leaders and agency staff only.

During these unprecedented times, millions of users are turning to the web for answers from authoritative sources. Join Google Search and YouTube experts as they discuss best practices and tools for managing your website content and videos on YouTube to ensure your critical information is reaching those in need.

The unknowable duration and impact of the pandemic combined with an already rapid acceleration of virtual service delivery both in the private and public sectors (retail, banking, healthcare, recruitment, motor vehicles, and tax operations to name a few) clearly indicate that virtual service delivery and remote work will be either permanent or significantly transformational. Overnight, COVID-19 has also made virtual service delivery a key component of state workforce agencies' response. How have state workforce agencies responded to the crisis? What tools are available and how do they connect to current systems? What will the impact be on staffing levels and skills needed to serve customers? How will business processes need to be adjusted? Join us for a workshop on virtual service delivery where we will discuss the issues surrounding the practice and hear from panelists on key items to consider when addressing the new normal. 

In these uncertain times, current information on available jobs is more important than ever. Through the National Labor Exchange (NLx) partnership, your state workforce agency is already equipped to deliver high-quality online job openings for every skill level and industry. Since 2007, all 50 state workforce agencies, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have signed formal agreements with DirectEmployers to participate in the NLx. Hear about the role of data and technology in state policies for virtual, evergreen, and 1099 jobs. In addition, stay tuned for some exciting announcements about the future of the NLx as this partnership continues to grow and support state workforce agencies. The NLx will play a vital role in getting Americans back to work after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided.

Designed for state UI Directors and senior UI management, this session provides an opportunity to focus on operational changes made in response to the new federal UI programs and the challenges of dramatic increases in volume.

An opportunity for state workforce agency attorneys to report on and ask questions of each other about significant legal cases, legislation, and policy development.

Welcome, NASWA Board Chair Transition, and A Word from our Gold Sponsors

Hearing the Latest from the U.S. Department of Labor and USDOL UI Performance Excellence Awards

Visit with our Sponsors in the virtual Exhibit Gallery.

Designated for both state UI and IT professionals, this workshop features presentations from states with new UI IT systems. 

One benefit of the current pandemic is a growing realization that virtual work is "real work," and a lot gets accomplished during the day (and night) in our home offices. Was your state ready for this shift in service delivery, and what virtual strategies would strengthen communication, stimulate economic growth, and benefit how your staff work with job seekers, students, claimants, and employers?

The current COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting employment crisis have made it clear: state and local data are key to understanding and responding to local social and economic challenges. While state data systems end at state borders, there is massive potential to develop the cross-state infrastructure needed to collect, mine, and use administrative data; share evidence-based practices, and establish common measures and research tools. In the past five years, a coalition of states has built such an infrastructure. This session will show how the Midwest Collaborative is sharing data and products to understand their local economies and labor markets and develop insights for reemployment and recovery, as well as how other states can emulate their efforts. 

The UI system has been severely challenged in 2020 in which it has been subject to radical, unprecedented, increases in the volume of UI claimants applying for benefits, standing up a number of new programs with widely varying requirements, while all under increased public awareness and pressure to pay benefits to those who are eligible.  During these extraordinary times, the attacks by individual and organized criminals have been unrelenting and extremely widespread.  In this workshop, you will hear about specific challenges states are facing, including widespread ID theft, simultaneous attacks in multiple states, and bot attacks and how states are using existing tools and leveraging new ones to combat these challenges. Finally, one state will demonstrate how it has brought together a variety of tools and analytics to effectively address these unprecedented challenges.

This session will provide an opportunity for state workforce agency attorneys to discuss legal and compliance issues with the U.S. Department of Labor.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing racial employment and wage inequities. People of color make up a disproportionate share of the low-wage, essential workforce and are also experiencing higher rates of joblessness. State workforce agencies are in a key role to partner with other entities to better understand the systemic causes of racial inequity and the challenges confronting workers, take concrete actions, and measure progress. During this session, we'll explore the levers available to state workforce leaders and highlight some of the promising state practices that will enable you to lead the way forward by putting equity and job quality front and center. 

This session will review how stress and burnout affect worker well-being, provide ready-to-use resources and guidance for preventing and reducing burnout, and describe examples from the field of how workforce agencies have supported employee mental health and well-being.

Visit with Sponsors in the virtual Exhibit Gallery.

Closing Plenary Session: A Word from our Silver Sponsors, "Where Are We Headed - Legislative and Elections Update," and Conference Adjournment