People who are unemployed can face unique challenges and opportunities as they seek jobs or prepare for new types of work. This Population in Focus page summarizes what we know about programs that can improve key outcomes of unemployed individuals with low incomes.
The Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse has reliable evidence for 80 programs that served unemployed individuals, based on 88 studies rated as moderate or high quality. The results below focus on programs with the largest reported effects for long-term earnings, employment, public benefit receipt, and attainment of education and training.
For each outcome, we present results from programs with favorable effectiveness ratings for that outcome. These results show what’s possible but may not always happen again if the program is implemented under different conditions. The results can partly reflect how a program was tested. Future success may depend on factors like staffing, resources, and features of a community.
For more information about the programs covered in this summary, use the hyperlinks in Exhibit 1 below.
Earnings
Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program had the largest reported effects on long-term annual earnings (an average of $10,972 per year). Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program (Per Scholas) provided a computer technician training program, internships, soft skills training, and supportive services to participants with low incomes. The program aimed to help participants obtain computer certification and find jobs in the information technology sector.
Employment
TransitionsSF had the largest reported effects on long-term employment (an average of 7 percentage points). TransitionsSF supported unemployed noncustodial parents in finding and maintaining work with the goal of improving participants’ employment outcomes and ability to pay for child support.
Public benefit receipt
Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) had the largest reported effects on long-term benefit receipt (decreasing the amount of public benefits received by $653 per year). The Portland version of Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS), a national program model enacted through the Family Support Act of 1988 to support recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in finding a job, focused on quickly moving participants into any employment, while also encouraging them to search for higher paying jobs with benefits.
Education and training
Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program had the largest reported effects on education and training (increasing the attainment of a degree or credential by an average of 39 percentage points). Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program (Per Scholas) provided a computer technician training program, internships, soft skills training, and supportive services to participants with low incomes. The program aimed to help participants obtain computer certification and find jobs in the information technology sector.
Programs serving unemployed individuals: implementation and outcomes
Exhibit 1 lists 80 programs for unemployed individuals included in Pathways to Work. It includes information about key program features like the services offered, the settings in which it was studied, and populations included in the studies. These program features may have shaped the studies’ results.
The exhibit also shows effectiveness ratings and reported effects by outcome for each program, based on Pathways to Work study reviews. An effectiveness rating tells us whether a program is likely to produce favorable results, if it is implemented under similar conditions.
You can use the exhibit to identify programs with a supported rating and consider their relevance for your community. Links to the program pages also allow you to learn about other factors that may affect success like staffing and resources.
| Program | Services | Settings | Population(s) | State(s) | Term | Increase earnings | Increase employment | Decrease public benefit receipt | Increase education and training |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Customer Choice (as compared with Structured Customer Choice) |
additional services: Employment coaching, Job readiness
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA) |
additional services: Job search assistance
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Cash assistance recipients, Public Benefits Recipients |
District of Columbia, Florida |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Individualized Job Search Assistance with Training (IJSA+) |
additional services: Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, On-the-job training
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Cash assistance recipients, Public Benefits Recipients |
District of Columbia, Florida |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) |
additional services: Case management, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid, Unconditional cash transfers
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | Unemployed |
Washington |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Jobs for Independence |
additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Employment coaching, Housing supports and subsidies, Job search assistance, Mental health services, On-the-job training, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs, Transportation assistance, Work supports
|
Tested in multiple settings | At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Public Benefits Recipients |
Vermont |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program |
additional services: Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Diversion payments, Job development, Physical health services, Work and Work-Based Approaches
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Tested in multiple settings | Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—On-the-Job Training (OJT) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—On-the-Job Training (OJT) (as compared with Paid Work Experience (PWE)) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
|
Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Job search assistance, Stipends
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Los Angeles County Transitional Subsidized Employment Program—Paid Work Experience (PWE) (as compared with On-the-Job [OJT] Training) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Job search assistance, Stipends
|
Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Maximum Customer Choice (as compared with Guided Customer Choice) |
additional services: Job readiness
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Maximum Customer Choice (as compared with Structured Customer Choice) |
additional services: Job readiness
|
Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Michigan Goal Progress Success (MI-GPS) |
additional services: Action step development, Assessment, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Goal setting, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients |
Michigan |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Michigan Opportunity and Skills Training (MOST) followed by Work First |
additional services: Case management, On-the-job training, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports
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Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Michigan |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) |
additional services: Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Education and Training, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Transportation assistance, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings, Urban only | Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Minnesota |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) (as compared with MFIP Incentives Only) |
additional services: Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Childcare and/or early education, Job search assistance, Transportation assistance, Work supports
|
Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Minnesota |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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