The Jobs-First GAIN program began with a six-hour motivational meeting followed by job clubs, which were classroom sessions focused on participants’ job application techniques and a supervised job search. Participants were encouraged to take any job offer received, including low-wage positions. Job clubs lasted three weeks, but further job development services were available until the recipient found work, exited the welfare system, or both. Jobs-First GAIN focused on AFDC recipients. The Jobs-First GAIN evaluation took place in Los Angeles County, CA.
- 0.11,1.00
- 0.14,2.00
- 0.06,1.00
- 0.12,2.00
- 0.23,1.00
- 0.15,1.50
- 0.15,2.00
Summary
Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) emphasized a rapid employment strategy to help recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) improve their earnings and employment outcomes.
Populations and employment barriers: Adults (age 25+), Parents, Cash assistance recipients, Public benefits recipients, Unemployed
Populations and employment barriers: Adults (age 25+), Parents, Single parents, Cash assistance recipients, Public benefits recipients, Unemployed
Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain
View table definitionsScroll to the right to view the rest of the table columns
| Outcome domain | Term | Effectiveness rating | Effect in 2024 dollars and percentages | Effect in standard deviations | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase earnings | Short-term | 
|
$2,151 per year
|
0.059 | 20731 |
| Long-term |
|
$4,483 per year
|
0.123 | 20731 | |
| Very long-term |  |
||||
| Increase employment | Short-term |
|
9% (in percentage points)
|
0.213 | 20731 |
| Long-term |
|
6% (in percentage points)
|
0.147 | 20731 | |
| Very long-term | |
||||
| Decrease benefit receipt | Short-term |
|
$-364 per year
|
-0.106 | 20731 |
| Long-term |
|
$-478 per year
|
-0.139 | 20731 | |
| Very long-term | |
||||
| Increase education and training | All measurement periods | |
Studies of this program
| Study quality rating | Study counts per rating |
|---|---|
 High
|
2 |
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 | $2,921–$4,326 |
Good quality
|
Cost information
How much did the program cost per participant?
The average total cost per participant ranged from $2,921 to $4,326 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 Jobs-First GAIN studies separately analyzed two groups of participants: two-parent families ($2,921 per participant) and single-parent families ($4,326 per participant). These studies all received a rating of Good quality for the cost analysis.
Implementation details
Dates covered by study
Jobs-First GAIN began in 1988 and most features of the program continue today under CalWORKS, California’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. Evaluators studied the Jobs-First GAIN Program from April 1996 to March 1998. Evaluators estimated impacts after one year and after two years of the program.
Organizations implementing program
Jobs-First GAIN is implemented by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (LA DPSS), which was the county’s AFDC agency.
Populations served
As the program was conducted during the AFDC era, the population served was a population of AFDC recipients. AFDC recipients were mandated to participate unless they had a disabling illness, were employed 30 or more hours per week, lived in a remote area that made program activities inaccessible, or if they were in their last trimester of pregnancy. Single parents that received AFDC were also exempt if they had a child under younger than 3. Individuals could volunteer for the program, but these participants were not included in the evaluation.
The single-parent household program group was 45 percent Hispanic, 31 percent African-American, 17 percent non-Hispanic white, and 6 percent Asian. Seven percent of this group identified as male while 93 percent of the group identified as female.
The two-parent household program group was 46 percent Hispanic, 28 percent non-Hispanic white, 20 percent Asian (primarily Indochinese), and 5 percent African American. Fifty-three percent of this group identified as male while 47 percent of this group identified as female.
Description of services implemented
The Jobs-First GAIN program began with a six-hour motivational meeting that emphasized a message to rapidly secure work first, followed by an individual meeting with a case manager. Participants then attended job clubs, run by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), for three weeks. These were classroom sessions focused on participants’ job application techniques. After the job club, participants conducted up to two weeks of supervised job searching, with the assistance of Jobs-First GAIN staff, using job listings and agency phone banks. Participants were encouraged to take any job they were offered, including low-wage positions. Further job development services were available until the recipient found work, exited the welfare system, or both.
All Jobs-First GAIN participants attended the initial six-hour meeting, but relatively few participants (30 to 38 percent) engaged with employment-related activities after attending orientation. Of the individuals that did participate in employment-related activities, most participated in only the job club, and most participated in only one of the three weeks of job club. About 70 percent of participants received warnings that their grant might be reduced for nonattendance within the first year after entering the program.
Service intensity
Participants were expected to attend a 6-hour orientation, followed by 3 weeks of job clubs, and then 10 days of supervised job searching. Job clubs took place 5 days per week. By the end of each day of supervised job searching, each participant was expected to make at least 50 phone calls to employers, find at least 5 job opening leads, and either schedule or attend 3 interviews. Although service uptake was relatively low after orientation, study authors indicated that exposure to the “work first” message and Work Pays incentives might have encouraged individuals to find jobs on their own. In addition, DPSS administrators asserted that the mandatory participation requirements pushed participants to let staff know when they found employment.
Comparison conditions
The comparison group members for the evaluation were unable to receive the Jobs-First GAIN services but were eligible to receive cash assistance and Food Stamp payments, could seek other services in the community, and could receive child care assistance from DPSS for employment-related programs they signed up for on their own. Comparison group members were also eligible for Work Pays, which allowed welfare recipients who found a job to continue receiving welfare benefits and stay eligible for Medicaid. However, evaluators found that it was unlikely that many of the comparison group participants knew about this program.
Partnerships
The LACOE partnered with LA DPSS to design and operate job clubs for the participants.
Staffing
Jobs-First GAIN participants worked with income maintenance workers, LACOE staff, job developers, and case managers.
- Income maintenance workers managed the financial aspects of a participant’s case and were responsible for evaluating if an individual should be required to enroll in the program.
- LACOE staff facilitated the job clubs, providing participants with instruction on job application techniques.
- Job developers cultivated relationships with local employers to create lists of available jobs and then worked to assess and match participants to positions. They would also arrange mini job fairs with a few employers at a time to facilitate the job matching process.
- Case managers encouraged participants to engage with program activities and could reduce a participant’s grant for not meeting program requirements.
The evaluation did not include information on the number of staff or their training, degrees, or certifications.
Fidelity measures
The study did not discuss any tools to measure fidelity to the program model.
Funding source
Jobs-First GAIN is funded by LA DPSS. This funding was made possible through a waiver granted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that raised the income limit for participants to continue receiving government assistance.
State(s) where implemented
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