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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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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| Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Incentives Only |
additional services: Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Childcare and/or early education, Transportation assistance
|
Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Minnesota |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Minnesota Tier 2 |
additional services: Ongoing support, Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Employer-focused retention strategies, Employment experiences, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Post-employment participant follow-up, Unpaid work experience/internships
|
Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Minnesota |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| National Guard Youth ChalleNGe |
additional services: Job placement
|
Tested in multiple settings | Young adults (age 16-24) |
Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Next STEP (Subsidized Transitional Employment Program) |
additional services: Assessment, Career planning, Case management, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Job development, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports
|
Urban only | At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Texas |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Oklahoma City’s Education, Training, and Employment (ET&E) Program |
additional services: Case management, On-the-job training, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports
|
Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Oklahoma |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Palm Beach County Transitional Employment Program |
additional services: Case management, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Mental health services, Soft skills training, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients |
Florida |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Parent Success Initiative (PSI) |
additional services: Assessment, Career planning, Child support assistance, Employer-focused retention strategies, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Goal setting, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Legal assistance, Ongoing support, Peer mentoring, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training
|
Tested in multiple settings | Noncustodial parents, Parents |
New York |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Parents’ Fair Share (PFS) |
additional services: Job placement, On-the-job training, Peer mentoring, Post-employment participant follow-up
|
Urban only | Parents |
Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Advanced Manufacturing Partnership |
additional services: Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job placement, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Soft skills training
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed |
Ohio |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Construction Sector Partnership |
additional services: Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, On-the-job training, Soft skills training
|
Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Ohio |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Partners for a Competitive Workforce: Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati |
additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Financial education, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Soft skills training
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Ohio |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Paths to Promise |
additional services: Employment coaching, Childcare and/or early education, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Mental health services, Occupational or sectoral training, On-the-job training, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance, Tuition assistance/financial aid, Work supports
|
Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, Public Benefits Recipients |
Kentucky |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Per Scholas Sectoral Employment Program |
additional services: Assessment, Career planning, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment coaching, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Goal setting, Integrated education and training, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Paid work experience/internships, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training, Work supports
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Urban only | Unemployed, At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
New York |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Permanent Housing Subsidy (SUB) (as compared with Project-Based Transitional Housing [PBTH]) |
additional services: Housing supports and subsidies
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, Parents |
Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Utah |
Short-term | ||||
| Long-term |
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| Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) |
additional services: Case management, Job placement, Transportation assistance, Unpaid work experience/internships, Work supports
|
Urban only | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Oregon |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Re-Integration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Program |
additional services: Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Peer mentoring, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Post-employment participant follow-up, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
|
Tested in multiple settings | Justice involvement |
Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Ready, Willing and Able Pathways2Work (Pathways) |
additional services: Assessment, Career planning, Case management, Child support assistance, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Financial education, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Paid work experience/internships, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Soft skills training
|
Urban only | Justice involvement |
New York |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Resources to Initiate Successful Employment |
additional services: Case management, Employment coaching, Housing supports and subsidies, Job placement, Job search assistance, Mental health services, On-the-job training, Soft skills training, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs, Transportation assistance, Work supports
|
Tested in multiple settings | Public Benefits Recipients |
Washington |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Riverside Human Capital Development (HCD) Program |
additional services: Case management, Job development, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance
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Urban only | Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Riverside Human Capital Development [HCD] Program (as compared with Riverside Labor Force Attachment [LFA] Program) |
additional services: Case management, Job development, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance
|
Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term | |||||
| Long-term |
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| Riverside Labor Force Attachment (LFA) |
additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Job search assistance, Paid work experience/internships, Transportation assistance
|
Urban only | Cash assistance recipients, Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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