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 |
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| TransitionsSF |
additional services: Assessment, Career planning, Case management, Child support assistance, Employment experiences, Employment skills development, Job development, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Post-employment participant follow-up, Soft skills training
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Urban only | Noncustodial parents, Parents |
California |
Short-term |
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| Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP) |
additional services: Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Earned income disregards, Physical health services, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs
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Tested in multiple settings | Parents, Public Benefits Recipients, Single parents |
Vermont |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Manufacturing Pathway |
additional services: Basic skills/bridge programs, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training
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Tested in multiple settings | At least a high school diploma or equivalent |
Wisconsin |
Short-term |
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| Long-term | |||||||||
| Work Opportunity Networks to Develop Employment Readiness |
additional services: Case management, Childcare and/or early education, Financial education, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Legal assistance, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Pre-apprenticeship training, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, Public Benefits Recipients |
Delaware |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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| YVLifeSet |
additional services: Action step development, Assessment, Benefit navigation/access, Counseling/emotional support and relationship building, Financial education, Housing supports and subsidies, Job placement, Job search assistance, Ongoing support, Treatment or recovery services for substance use disorder, Work supports
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Tested in multiple settings | Unemployed, Young adults (age 16-24) |
Tennessee |
Short-term |
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| Long-term |
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