Citation
Hendra, R., Dillman, K-N., Hamilton, G., Lundquist, E., Martinson, K., Wavelet, M., Hill, A., & Williams, S. (2010). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: How effective are different approaches aiming to increase employment retention and advancement? Final impacts for twelve models. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families. [Moving Up—South Carolina]
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to estimate the impact of pre- and post-employment job supports and intensive case management on former welfare recipients’ employment and benefits receipt outcomes after four years. The South Carolina site was one of 16 sites nationwide that participated in the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project.
- The authors randomly assigned 2,776 single parents who had left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in the past three years to either a treatment group that received ERA services or a control group that could participate in other employment-related programs in the community. The authors analyzed data from Unemployment Insurance (UI), TANF, and Food Stamps administrative records and a survey administered 12 months after random assignment.
- The study did not find any statistically significant effects on earnings, employment, or benefits receipt one to four years after random assignment.
- The quality of causal evidence provided in this study is high because it was based on a well-conducted randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to the South Carolina ERA project and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
The Employment Retention and Advancement Project, South Carolina
Features of the Intervention
The ERA project was introduced in 1999 as a nationwide exploration of factors that help welfare recipients not only find employment but retain their positions and advance in their careers. South Carolina was one of 16 sites across the United States to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement a program intended to improve welfare recipients’ employment outcomes.
South Carolina’s ERA project, the Moving Up program, provided participants in six rural counties with individualized case management services. It provided pre- or post-employment services, depending on the employment status of program participants. Program activities included counseling on career goals and job readiness, job search assistance, short-term education or training, child care and transportation assistance, and referrals to mental health and other social support services. Moving Up was optional; therefore, to promote engagement, the program offered modest incentives, including cash rewards or gift certificates for reaching specific benchmarks, such as finding or holding a job, getting a promotion, or completing education or training activities.
Features of the Study
From September 2001 to January 2003, about 2,776 single parents who had exited TANF in the past three years were randomly assigned to either a treatment group, which received ERA services, or a control group, which could participate in other programs typically offered in the community. Eligible participants included both employed and unemployed individuals. Nearly all (98 percent) were female, 81 percent were black non-Hispanic, and 56 percent had received at least a high school diploma or general equivalency degree certificate by the time of random assignment.
The authors estimated employment and earnings impacts by comparing regression-adjusted UI wage records of treatment and control group members over the four years after random assignment. The authors also calculated program impacts for benefit receipt measures, including whether participants received TANF or Food Stamps, using TANF and Food Stamps administrative records through four years after random assignment. Finally, the authors estimated impacts on self-reported employment and earnings using data from the 12-month survey administered to a subsample of study participants.
Findings
- The study did not find any statistically significant effects on earnings, employment, or benefits receipt one to four years after random assignment.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors mentioned that, due to budget cuts, most of the study counties had to freeze or limit spending on financial incentives, education and training tuition payments, and transportation assistance from late 2002 to summer 2003. Further, at the time of the 12-month survey, only 43 percent of treatment group members reported having made contact with an employment program staff member.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence provided in this study is high because it was based on a well-conducted randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to the South Carolina ERA project and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Additional Sources
Scrivener, S., Azurdia, G., & Page, J. (2005). The Employment Retention and Advancement project: Results from the South Carolina ERA site. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.