Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Transitional Community Jobs (TCJ) on employment, earnings, and public benefit receipt outcomes.
- The study used a nonexperimental comparison group design. Using administrative data, the authors conducted statistical tests to compare the outcomes of the two groups at 3 months and 6 months after program participation.
- The study found a significant relationship between the TCJ program and increased unsubsidized employment at 3 months and 6 months after program participation.
- This study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the Transitional Community Jobs program; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Transitional Community Jobs (TCJ) Program
Features of the Intervention
The Transitional Community Jobs (TCJ) program was implemented from January 2000 to June 2001 in Chicago, as one of four programs implemented by Catholic Charities and Heartland Alliance's Mid-American Institute on Poverty. TCJ served people who were either non-custodial parents with children living in houses that received welfare, or who were receiving welfare and considered hard to employ. TCJ activities included job training, resume writing classes, and interview skills development. TCJ also included subsidized jobs for participants, providing them with paid non-profit employment for up to six months.
Features of the Study
The study used a nonexperimental comparison group design to examine differences in employment between two groups; those who completed at least one day of a subsidized job (the treatment group; n=255) and those who completed at least one day of employment training but did not work a subsidized job (the comparison group; n=300). Recruitment was conducted through referrals. After intake, participants had the opportunity to engage in employment training and job placement. Groups were determined based on completion of TCJ activities. The study sample consisted of people who were either receiving welfare and hard to employ, or non-custodial parents with children living in homes receiving welfare. The average participant was female, African American, and 33 years old; non-custodial fathers made up less than 3 percent of the sample. Employment outcomes were gathered from the TCJ’s case files and from the Illinois Department of Employment Security and the Illinois Department of Human Services. The authors used statistical tests to compare the outcomes of each group at two time points (3 months and 6 months after program participation). Outcomes included employment in an unsubsidized job, earnings, receipt of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and amount of TANF received.
Findings
Employment
- The study found a significant positive relationship between TCJ participation and unsubsidized employment at both 3 months and 6 months after program participation.
- The study found a significant positive relationship between TCJ participation and employment rate at both 3 months and 6 months after program participation.
Earnings and wages
- The study found that participation in the TCJ program was related to higher earnings at both 3 months and 6 months after program participation. However, no tests of statistical significance were provided.
Public benefit receipt
- The study found that participation in the TCJ program was related to a decrease in TANF receipt and the amount of TANF benefits received. However, no tests of statistical significance were provided.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors did not account for preexisting differences between the groups before program participation. These preexisting differences between the groups—and not participation in TCJ—could explain the observed differences in outcomes. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to TCJ; other factors are likely to have contributed.