FEATURED STORY | WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
AI as a Force Multiplier - Driving Efficiency in State Workforce Agencies
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP | NEWS
September 10, 2025 — As Metropolitan Strategies and Solutions packs its bags to head to NASWA we’re proud to share our new white paper: “AI as a Force Multiplier: Driving Efficiency in State Workforce Agencies."
We believe the strategic implementation of Artificial Intelligence is no longer a luxury but an essential tool for navigating this new era. This paper provides a clear path forward, presenting AI as a powerful decision support and productivity tool that can augment the capabilities of a strained workforce. We collaborated with two state PFML leaders to ground-truth these ideas and rate their impact and level of effort!
Inside, you will find:
- A breakdown of high-impact AI opportunities across Customer-Facing Services, Core Operations, and Foundational Support functions.
- Specific, vetted initiatives such as an Examiner Reference LLM to accelerate policy research, AI-driven fraud detection, and automated quality review scoring.
- A practical prioritization matrix that identifies "quick wins" to help your agency secure immediate efficiencies and build momentum.
- A phased roadmap—Envision, Prototype, and Implement—to guide a successful and sustainable AI adoption journey.
Our goal is to enhance the human element, not replace it. By empowering your staff with intelligent tools, we can build more resilient, responsive, and effective benefit programs for the future.
Let's start a conversation about building the benefits agency of the future.
Delivering a World Class Unemployment Insurance Experience
CASE STUDIES | INDUSTRY
October 5, 2024 — A State Workforce Development Agency engaged MSS to modernize its workforce insurance programs and focus on giving claimants an exceptional customer experience. Modernization of the claimant experience was an important goal for the agency after the impact of COVID on its public image and operations.
The agency's unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and paid family leave programs faced various customer experience challenges, including a confusing benefits process, long lags until payment, and call centers with long wait times and low success rates. MSS created a future-state claimant journey map based on industry-leading customer experience practices, interviews and data from claimants, and workshops with agency staff. This map defined an exceptional customer experience at every interaction and guided the agency’s transformation efforts.
Due to MSS's efforts, the agency secured approximately $1.2B in legislative funding and is now equipped with clear customer experience goals, implementation steps, and recommendations. The agency is confident that these efforts will help it serve its
stakeholders better and improve its public image.
A Refined Approach to Measuring Take-up Rate in Paid Family Leave Programs
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP | WORKFORCE
July 21, 2023 — To understand the reach and impact of paid family leave (PFL) programs, examining a program's take-up rate is essential. While there is no well-defined quantitative measure used by government agencies to calculate the take-up rate for PFL benefits accurately, it has been calculated by comparing the total population covered by the program to the portion of that population that participates in the program. This paper calculates a take-up rate using adjustments for the eligible population. The adjustment for the eligible population, instead of the covered population, and using public data sets to augment administrative data from the program provides a different perspective on take-up and program participation.
A groundbreaking research paper authored by Elliot Schreur, Alice Yu, Sydney Pedigo, Jonathan Standbrook, Michael Taylor, and Unique Morris-Hughes delves deep into the usage of this program. It shows how the "eligible take-up rate" (ETUR) is an essential metric for program leaders and policy decision-makers.
How Sydney Pedigo Delivers Impact at Scale
A PEEK INSIDE MSS
October 10, 2025 — In today's rapidly evolving workforce landscape, organizations are under immense pressure to adapt, innovate, and deliver tangible results. For workforce development agencies, this often means navigating complex legacy systems and shifting perspectives to truly serve their constituents. At MSS, we're proud to highlight how our Senior Manager, Sydney Pedigo, is a driving force behind this transformation, consistently delivering impact at scale by championing human-centered design principles.
Sydney understands that true transformation begins with understanding the people at the heart of the system. Far too often, legacy workforce development systems view individuals as "claimants"—a transactional label that overlooks their unique needs, aspirations, and potential. Sydney's approach fundamentally shifts this perspective, reframing every interaction around the concept of a "customer." This isn't just a semantic change; it's a foundational shift that informs every strategic decision and technological upgrade.
Sydney’s expertise lies in her ability to apply rigorous human-centered design principles to complex operational challenges. She starts by deeply empathizing with the end-users – whether they are job seekers, employers, or case managers. Through in-depth research, journey mapping, and stakeholder collaboration, she uncovers pain points, identifies unmet needs, and designs solutions that are intuitive, efficient, and empowering.
At MSS, we believe that true impact at scale is achieved when innovation is deeply rooted in human understanding. Sydney Pedigo exemplifies this philosophy, continually demonstrating how strategic vision, technological expertise, and an unwavering commitment to the customer can transform workforce development for the better. If your organization is ready to redefine its impact and put the "customer" at the center of its mission, we invite you to connect with us.
Summer Intern Spotlight: John Morgan Koo
A PEEK INSIDE MSS
August 28, 2024 — John-Morgan Koo, this summer’s intern at Metropolitan Strategies & Solutions (MSS), is carving his niche with unwavering enthusiasm and a commitment to community well-being. John Morgan's foray into consulting stems from a desire to merge his interests in public health, economics, and entrepreneurship. "I was drawn to MSS’ emphasis on creating impactful solutions for citizens," he reflects.
As a summer intern, John-Morgan's days are a whirlwind of diverse responsibilities. From delving into the intricacies of paid family leave and unemployment insurance to contributing to policy research for public libraries and St. Louis urban planning and design, he has contributed to a wide portfolio of work. His contributions span trust fund forecasting, wireframe development, business development, workshop facilitation, and client presentations. Moreover, he spearheaded the creation of MSS' campus recruitment program, a testament to his initiative and leadership potential.
He's particularly proud of his recent accomplishment of developing a paid family leave tableau training workshop. "Having that responsibility was extremely fulfilling and made me feel valued," he shares.
Looking ahead, John-Morgan envisions a career in consulting, ideally in a field that intertwines healthcare or community engagement. He aspires to gain experience across diverse sectors, seeking purpose-driven work and honing his skills under the mentorship of seasoned professionals.
Outside work, John-Morgan pursues several hobbies, including working out, listening to music, playing sports, cooking, and drumming. And here's a fun fact his colleagues might not know: he's a black belt in Shotokan Karate!
John-Morgan offers advice for those aspiring to follow a similar path: "Figure out a way to get organized!" Keeping order amidst chaos can be challenging due to the complexity of consulting.
As John-Morgan wraps up his journey here at MSS and returns to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, we thank him for his dedication, curiosity, and passion for positive change.