WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today published a final rule delaying the compliance date states are required to meet when implementing the merit staffing requirements for Employment Service. Today’s final rule extends by one year the compliance deadline that was set in department’s 2023 Wagner-Peyser Act Staffing final rule that required states to use state merit staff to deliver Employment Services, in contrast to the more flexible staffing options for other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs. The Employment Service is a core program of WIOA that provides assistance in American Job Centers nationwide. The new deadline is Jan. 21, 2027.In addition to giving states an extra year to meet the requirements, the deadline extension allows the department to complete ongoing rulemaking that may impact future staffing requirements. In July 2025, the department proposed eliminating merit staffing requirements as part of the department’s deregulatory effort to streamline program administration and put American workers first.Managed by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, WIOA programs help jobseekers find work and help businesses find workers. The Trump Administration’s blueprint for transforming the federal government’s approach to workforce development, America’s Talent Strategy, calls for empowering states with the flexibility to integrate systems and improve the delivery of services to America's workers.Read the Wagner-Peyser Act Staffing, Delay of Merit Staffing Compliance Date final rule.