Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Panel: The Next Generation of Subsidized Employment: Three Evaluations of Transitional Jobs Programs

(Employment and Training Programs)

Transitional jobs are temporary jobs, subsidized with public funds, that aim to teach participants basic work skills or help them get a foot in the door with an employer. Several transitional jobs programs have been evaluated in the past, with mixed results. This panel presents information from three evaluations of a total of ten transitional jobs programs.

 

Each evaluation used a randomized controlled trial design. The target populations served by the programs varied, and included non-custodial parents, formerly incarcerated individuals, TANF recipients, veterans, and workers over the age of 50. The programs had a common goal of increasing employment and earnings, as well as goals specific to the target population, such as reducing recidivism, increasing child support payments, or reducing benefits usage. In each evaluation, participant outcomes were measured by administrative with both administrative data and surveys. While the programs had a common component – the subsidized job – the design and implementation of the subsidized employment varied in terms of the type of employer, amount of payment, and duration. The wrap-around services offered also varied by program.

 

The panel will present final findings from the US Department of Labor’s Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration (ETJD) and from the US Department of Health and Human Services’s Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) Los Angeles site. It will also introduce the Colorado ReHire program, a new subsidized employment program being evaluated in the state of Colorado. The program manager from one of the ETJD programs will serve as a discussant on the panel.

*Note to conference organizers (not for inclusion in session description): One paper on the panel – the ETJD 30-month impact results – was scheduled to be presented at the fall 2017 APPAM conference. However, the funder for this project (the United States Department of Labor) ultimately did not allow the findings to be presented, a departure from past practice on this project. The final report for the ETJD project will be released publicly before the 2018 APPAM fall conference, so we do not anticipate this being an issue. Also, a portion of the findings from the STED Los Angeles site were presented at last year’s APPAM, but additional final findings will now be available for this fall’s presentation.