This document is the first in a series of two reports on demand-led strategies to support welfare-to-work clients. The authors believe employment retention programs that demonstrate they can meet the needs of employers for effective employees follow a demand-led approach, which has the potential to expand the opportunities available to welfare recipients and others working toward economic self-sufficiency. Strategies for implementing demand-led retention approaches by local and regional program providers, such as cultivating relationships with employers in order to assess their employee needs, are the focus of the first half of the report. The second half, in the form of three appendices, presents principles of demand-led programs, guidelines for assessing barriers to employment, and case studies of welfare-to-work programs focused on employment outcomes. The document contains seven website resources and 31 references. (AJ)