Requesting the NLx Data

The NLx Research Hub is a cloud-hosted warehouse of jobs data sourced from the National Labor Exchange, a partnership between the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) and the DirectEmployers Association. This data is available to approved users throughout the workforce and education system.

Data requests should provide reasonable potential to benefit the community and the common good. This includes any research question, project, or product need that, when completed, provides measurable advancement toward the Research Hub mission to provide and utilize accurate and comprehensive job postings to compile actionable evidence across the Workforce and Education System to connect all workers to good jobs, address critical gaps in labor market information and help advocate for system-wide advancements in research and policy. In pursuit of this, data requests should attempt to contribute to the following NLx Research Hub goals:

1) Increase the amount of actionable labor market information in the U.S. to support the recruitment, hiring, and training opportunities of all workers to good jobs

2) Facilitate convergence research across sectors to create open-source solutions to support the workforce and education system. The common good also includes the development of insights that lead to new practices, policies, and solutions that ensure high-quality employment for all.

Request Process

When the NLx Research Hub begins accepting requests for data, each request will follow the procedures outlined below:

  1. Complete and submit the appropriate data request form

    1. Data Request for Government Users

    2. Data Request for General Users

  2. Requests will initially go through a review by NASWA to determine if there is any need for clarification or modification 

  3. If necessary, the request will be sent back to the requesting party with an explanation of:

    • What supporting documentation or information is required to proceed.

    • What specific request clarification or modification is necessary to proceed.

  4. If all required materials are submitted and no clarification or modification is required, NASWA will determine if the request qualifies for Expedited Review or must be reviewed by the NLx Data Trust Governance Board.

    • Expedited Review allows the NLx Research Hub (Trustee of the NLx Data Trust) to review and make a decision on the request.

    • If review by the governance board is required, please allow 2 - 3 weeks for review.

  5. If the request is approved, Research Hub staff will email a draft data use agreement to the requesting party for review.

  6. Once a data use agreement is signed, all authorized users listed on the agreement will be issued credentials to access the NLx data according to the method selected in your request.

    • Note that it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to ensure that they have the necessary authority to sign any data agreements on behalf of their organization, agency, or institution. If they do not, it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to notify the appropriate individual as soon as possible to avoid further delay in the data request process.

Unapproved Requests

If a request is not approved, the Principal Investigator will be notified of their denial and the justification for denial. The request should not be resubmitted unless modified to account for reasons for denial. A denied request does not prohibit the Principal Investigator, or any identified users or organizations, from submitting additional requests.

Terms and Conditions of NLx Research Hub Data Use

Benefits
Data requests should provide reasonable potential to benefit the community and the common good. Reasonable benefit to the community and the common good includes any research question that, when answered, provides some measurable advancement toward the NLx Research Hub goals outlined above. The common good also includes the benefit of developing new information and knowledge that lead to new practices, policies, and other types of solutions that overcome long-standing problems facing the labor market and its actors. 

Researcher Credentials
NASWA will review each researcher’s credentials to determine whether the investigator(s) have the appropriate credentials to conduct the proposed research using the requested data. Credentials for all investigators must be evidenced by appropriate documentation (i.e., curriculum vitae). 

IRB Approval
Data requests will not be reviewed if a researcher’s institution first requires the review and approval by its Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Confidentiality
Data shared with researchers must be not to be shared with any unauthorized persons.

Data Use Agreement
All data shared with researchers are subject to the terms and conditions of a signed data use agreement, which will be distributed to the researcher upon approval of their data request.

Publication
Publication consistent with academic research standards is permitted provided it complies with the terms and conditions of the data use agreement.