The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services is closing nine of its Workforce Centers and leaving 17 other Workforce Centers open, a division spokeswoman said Friday, in what the agency described as a restructuring of its Workforce Centers across the state to increase program flexibility and reach more Arkansans.
Arkansas Workforce Centers provide workforce readiness training, job search assistance, academic enrichment and work experience to job seekers by linking them to employers through a statewide delivery system, according to the Division of Workforce Services.
The restructuring of the centers includes the transfer of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in the Division of Workforce Services to the state Department of Human Services as required by Act 832 of 2023, the division announced late Thursday afternoon in a news release.
Division spokeswoman Zoe Calkins said Friday the Workforce Centers in Arkadelphia, Batesville, Benton, Blytheville, Camden, Helena, Magnolia, Mountain Home and Rogers will be closed. The division described the offices as underutilized in its news release.
Asked when the centers will be closed, she said, "We expect the restructuring to be complete by June 30, 2023."
The restructuring will leave Workforce Centers open in Conway, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Harrison, Hope, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Mena, Monticello, Paragould, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Searcy and West Memphis, Calkins said.
Asked whether anyone will be laid off under the restructuring, she said, "No permanent DWS employees are being laid off under this restructuring."
Asked whether any temporary employees are losing their jobs at the centers, Calkins said, "DWS is not renewing contracts for temporary positions in the affected Workforce Centers. This will impact nine individuals," effective July 1.
Arkansas Division of Workforce Services' services will continue to be offered through mobile centers with the flexibility to reach citizens across the state, the division said Thursday in its news release.
As part of this effort, the division has created a job seeker database, enabling the division to contact unemployed Arkansans directly, improving the delivery and efficiency of services, according to the division. The division employees affected will receive offers for new employment from the Department of Human Services at their current salary.
One hundred and sixty-four division employees will transfer to the state Department of Human Services, leaving approximately 430 full-time staff at the Division of Workforce Services, Calkins said.
Asked about how much money this will save, she said, "Federal funding for the TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] program and operations will be transferred to DHS.
"Savings may result through attrition and efficiency in operations," Calkins said.
The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services is part of the state Department of Commerce.
"The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services has worked hard to align our services with the needs of Arkansans," Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald said in the news release.
"The Arkansas Department of Commerce is fully committed to providing services and resources throughout the state to meet the needs of all Arkansans," he said.
Charisse Childers, director of the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, said the division's primary goal is to continue to deliver services to Arkansans.
"The restructure of our service delivery model will allow us to better utilize our federal funding in the most efficient way possible," she said in the news release. "We are following the national trend of reducing brick and mortar locations to more efficiently deliver services through enhanced technology and the use of our eight mobile workforce centers."
Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam said in the news release that department officials "are excited to welcome these talented staff members from the Division of Workforce Services to our team at the Department of Human Services as we take on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program."
"These employees bring a wealth of experience and a true commitment to serving Arkansans, and I look forward to seeing them support our operations and help further our important mission," she said.
Besides the transfer of the TANF program to the Department of Human Services, Act 832 of 2023 also requires the transfer of the Arkansas Work Pays Program from the state Department of Commerce to the Department of Human Services.
Act 832 is the result of the Legislature and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' enactment of House Bill 1742 by Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville.
Under Act 832, the General Assembly finds that in order to promote family economic stability and maximize the effectiveness of workforce development funding and initiatives, some individuals and families need assistance in removing barriers to work, and the state Department of Human Services offers wraparound social services, including prevention services and family preservation services, that "holistically meet the four (4) purposes of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families."
According to Act 832, the General Assembly intends this transfer to streamline the delivery of eligibility, case management, program services and administrative operations to optimize TANF resources available to help Arkansans return to work and support their families.
Workforce centers closing