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Federal officials criticize kiosks for Iowa unemployed
A federal report has criticized the self-help computer kiosks set up to replace three dozen Iowa unemployment offices.
The Des Moines Register cites an unreleased U.S. Labor Department report that says the kiosks do not provide adequate service access to people looking for jobs.
A federal review of the kiosk program this spring found the kiosks have only descriptions of services, and do not aid self-help or staff-assisted services that an unemployed person might need.
Iowa Workforce Development Deputy Director Ed Wallace describes the report as a preliminary draft and says federal reviewers probably didn't fully understand the project.
Gov. Terry Branstad
closed nearly two-thirds of Iowa Workforce Development field offices last year in an effort to save money.
An employment kiosk at the North Liberty Public Library. (Kenny Knutson/The Gazette)
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