Why this matters for PERM filers

The federal PERM regulation at 20 CFR §656.17(e) requires a State Workforce Agency job order placed for at least 30 calendar days in the area of intended employment. Whether that job order satisfies audit depends on two practical questions: did the employer use the SWA portal the state actually accepts on the date the order was placed, and does the confirmation artifact produced by that portal carry the correct dates.

In 2026, three states — Kentucky, Minnesota, and New Jersey — have published explicit cut-over dates for retiring their legacy employer job-order systems and shifting employer postings to National Labor Exchange (NLx) infrastructure. Each state's cut-over date is different, and each state's new employer URL is different. The summaries below cite each state's own announcement; no third-party commentary is paraphrased.

Kentucky

Per Kentucky Career Center / Kentucky Works, employers using the Kentucky Employer Access for the SWA job order should be aware of the May 2026 cut-over to the new Kentucky NLx-powered platform.

  • New employer portal (NLx-powered): kentucky.usnlx.com
  • Old system access window: existing accounts remain accessible through July 2, 2026 to allow transition; after that date, employers post on the new platform.
  • Practical step for filers: for any KY worksite filing on or after July 2, 2026, the SWA job order needs to go through the new portal, and the confirmation artifact must come from that portal.

Minnesota

Per the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the legacy MinnesotaWorks.net system is being retired in favor of CareerForce.

  • Cut-over date: MinnesotaWorks.net retires on June 10, 2026 (CareerForce MN — "Farewell to MinnesotaWorks.net, welcome to CareerForce.MN.gov").
  • New employer portal: careerforce.mn.gov/post-a-job.
  • Important: Per DEED, jobs posted on MinnesotaWorks.net do not automatically migrate to CareerForce.MN.gov. Employers re-post on the new platform; any postings still on MinnesotaWorks.net after the retirement date will not satisfy the SWA requirement.
  • Practical step for filers: for any MN worksite with a recruitment cycle spanning June 10, 2026, verify the SWA posting is on CareerForce, not the retired system, and that the confirmation artifact reflects the full 30-day posting window on the new platform.

New Jersey

Per the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the NJ Job Bank Self-Service system has been retired.

  • Cut-over date: the NJ Job Bank Self-Service system became unavailable effective May 1, 2026 (NJ Department of Labor — Labor Exchange Services).
  • New employer portal: post.nj.usnlx.com (US National Labor Exchange — New Jersey Self-Service Site). See also newjersey.usnlx.com for the public jobseeker-facing companion site.
  • Practical step for filers: for any NJ worksite filing in 2026, the SWA confirmation artifact must come from post.nj.usnlx.com or the NJDOL-recognized successor. Artifacts dated before May 1, 2026 from the prior system remain valid for cases that completed posting before that date.

What the three transitions have in common

  • Each transition is announced by the state itself. The URLs above are the official state-facing references; do not rely on third-party summaries.
  • Each new portal is NLx-powered, but each retains its own employer-facing entry point. There is no single US-wide employer URL; the worksite address still determines which portal applies.
  • Each portal generates its own confirmation artifact. The artifact's date range and identifier should be cross-checked against the case's recruitment timeline.

PWDs nearing expiry

Independent of these platform transitions, employers with Prevailing Wage Determinations approaching expiration should verify that the recruitment cycle and filing window remain aligned with the PWD's validity period. The PWD itself is the authoritative source for that date.

What PermAd360 does

PermAd360 maintains the list of currently active employer-facing portals for each state and surfaces flagged items on the case timeline when a worksite's portal may have changed. SWA proof capture pulls the confirmation artifact from the relevant state portal and stores it against the case. PermAd360 is a recruitment-advertising and workflow platform; we do not provide legal advice. Flagged items are surfaced to the attorney of record for case-level decisions.

Sources