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Summary

The Individualized Job Search Assistance with Training (IJSA+) program provided unemployment insurance (UI) recipients with personalized services and training to assist them in finding a new job at an early point after entering the UI system.

Six to seven weeks into unemployment, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. At the orientation, the participants were given information about the services available to them and were scheduled for an assessment interview. The orientation for IJSA+, unlike for IJSA and Structured Job Search Assistance (SJSA), included a coordinated effort with the local Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Act staff to enroll interested participants in training. During the assessment interview, staff developed an individual service plan for the participant and emphasized the opportunity for training. Individual service plans varied, but the services specified in the plan were mandatory.

On average, participants completed services about two months after they began receiving UI benefits. A two-stage screening process identified UI claimants who were permanently separated from their previous job and then selected individuals who were most likely to exhaust their UI benefits (using a model that considered the local unemployment rate, job tenure, education, occupation, and industry).

In addition to fulfilling the usual requirements for UI, individuals in IJSA+ were required to complete this program to continue receiving their full UI benefits.

The IJSA+ program was implemented in Washington, DC, and in multiple UI offices in Florida. The IJSA+ program was implemented in the same evaluation as two similar programs for UI claimants: the SJSA and the IJSA.

3190.06-Study of Individuali
Populations and employment barriers: Public benefits recipients, Cash assistance recipients, Adults (age 25+), Unemployed
3190.03-Study of Individuali
Populations and employment barriers: Public benefits recipients, Cash assistance recipients, At least a high school diploma or equivalent, Adults (age 25+), Unemployed

Implementation at a glance

Primary service
Job readiness
Program services
Job readiness, Job search assistance, Occupational or sectoral training, On-the-job training
Review services terms
Setting(s)
Tested in multiple settings
Year evaluation began
1995
Implementing organization(s)Department of Employment Services and Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Act staff (Washington, DC study); Department of Labor and Employment Security and Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Act staff (Florida study) 

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

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Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Not supported favorable $838 per year 0.023 9973
Long-term Not supported favorable $437 per year 0.012 8662
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Increase employment Short-term Not supported favorable 1% (in percentage points) 0.029 9973
Long-term Not supported favorable 1% (in percentage points) 0.023 8662
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term Not supported favorable $-127 per year -0.037 6003
Long-term Not supported unfavorable $89 per year 0.026 6003
Very long-term Cannot assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods Cannot assess support

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 2
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Program cost

No cost information available.

Cost results

Estimates (in 2024 dollars) Quality of cost analyses that produced the estimates
Total program cost, per participant $194–$406
Good quality
Net benefit to participants, per participant -$23–$1,516
Good quality

Cost information

How much did the program cost per participant?

The average total cost per participant ranged from $194 to $406 in 2024 dollars. This figure is based on cost information reported in two cost studies reviewed by Pathways to Work (for details, see the FAQ). The IJSA+ studies were conducted in two sites implementing the program: Florida ($194 per participant) and Washington, DC ($406 per participant). These studies all received a rating of Good quality for the cost analysis.

How much did the program cost relative to the benefits it generated?

A cost-benefit analysis was conducted in the cost studies reviewed, with all studies receiving a rating of Good quality. The net benefit to participants ranged from -$23 per participant in Florida to $1,516 per participant in Washington, DC in 2024 dollars. This means that the net program benefit to participants (difference in benefits between the program and comparison group) ranged from $23 less than the net cost of the program to participants in Florida to $1,516 more than the net cost of the program to participants in Washington, DC. The estimates are expressed as the net present value, which accounts for differences in the timing of when benefits and costs occurred. In addition, the net benefit to government ranged from -$90 per participant in Florida to $70 per participant in Washington, DC in 2024 dollars. The studies broke out the net benefit to government into the net benefit to the U.S. Department of Labor (-$350 per participant in Washington, D.C; -$103 per participant in Florida in 2024 dollars) and net benefit to other state and local government agencies ($13 per participant in Florida; $419 per participant in Washington, DC in 2024 dollars). The net benefit to society ranged from -$115 per participant in Florida to $1,588 per participant in Washington, DC in 2024 dollars.

Cost information is not directly comparable across programs due to differences in the categories of costs reported and the amount of time programs lasted. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

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Implementation details

The information contained here reflects how the program was implemented at the time of the evaluation.

Local context

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
43%
White, not Hispanic
41%
Unknown, not reported, or other
1%
Hispanic or Latino of any race
15%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

State(s) where implemented

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Canada

Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.