In 1831, immigrant farmers streaming to Kirtland, Ohio, needed work and the dignity of providing for their families. The Lord revealed how immigrants could obtain land and work for themselves (see Doctrine and Covenants 42:29–32). This began the efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help people enjoy the dignity of work.

In the 1850s, Church members were forced to leave their homes and move west. While these pioneers left the eastern part of the United States well prepared, the trek across the plains depleted their supplies. Those who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley needed food and other necessities while their first crops grew. Brigham Young established the Church Public Works Department in 1849 to provide newly arrived pioneers with work and income.

The Church Employment Bureau, established in the 1890s, consisted of employment offices with employment representatives in each local congregation. The bureau helped people find work in the burgeoning economy, develop new skills, overcome barriers to employment, and foster self-employment.

“The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work must be reenthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership,” declared Church leadership during the trials of the Great Depression in the United States during the 1930s (in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 3). The Church responded to these trials with agricultural, industrial, and commercial projects that provided work for men and women seeking to provide for themselves without relying on a dole.

In the 1940s, the Church used the “green card” system at the local level to record information about members. The cards were printed on green paper and contained everything from people's names and birthdays to their occupations and previous jobs. This collection of employment information shared between wards and members became the backbone of Church employment efforts.

The first employment center opened 1 March 1948 to serve the many people who were coming to the Church offices for employment assistance. Since then, employment centers have spread to more than 200 locations worldwide. Although the world has changed since the Church first started its employment efforts, people still need to work and experience the dignity of providing for their families.