Mastering the ESE Metric: Why “Retention” is the Only Number That Matters

"Effectiveness in Serving Employers" (ESE) was a pilot program with various interpretations. That changed recently when the U.S. Department of Labor finalized the rule, strictly defining the ESE indicator as Retention with the Same Employer. Specifically, it tracks whether a participant remains with the same employer during both the second (Q2) and fourth (Q4) quarters after exiting a program.