The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) envisions major changes in how workforce development services are provided and how workforce development and economic development are connected. For this to happen, Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), One Stops, and labor leaders need to do more than simply bring a set of programs under one roof. They need to develop service delivery strategies that are based on the needs of workers and employers in their local area. The workforce development programs of the WIA partners can then be seen as tools in the WIB's toolkit for solving labor market problems.

In order to develop service delivery strategies, WIBs need to know something about both sides of their labor market: the "supply side" (the workers) and the "demand side" (the employers). This Action Brief describes how labor leaders and WIBs can conduct a basic economic "audit" of its area using available labor market information (and relying on available labor market intermediaries). Step two of this Brief then looks at how these data can be used to devise service delivery strategies, economic development strategies, and labor market information "products" that job seekers and employers can use.