Share this intervention

  • 0.11,2.50
  • 0.02,1.00
  • 0.03,1.50

Summary

SJSA provided unemployment insurance (UI) recipients with guidance to help them find a new job quickly after entering the UI system.

Six to seven weeks after submitting a UI claim, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. After orientation, they completed a one-on-one assessment of their aptitude and interests and participated in a 15-hour job-search workshop. Participants were required to have at least two additional contacts with staff after these initial activities to report on their job search progress.

On average, participants completed the program about two months after they began receiving UI benefits. A two-stage screening process first screened out UI claimants who were unlikely to face long periods of unemployment, then used a model to predict which remaining UI claimants were most likely to receive long-term UI based on the local unemployment rate and the claimant's education and previous job tenure, occupation, and industry. The individuals identified as most likely to exhaust their UI benefits through this screening process were selected to participate in the demonstration program.

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

SJSA was implemented in Washington, DC, and in 10 UI offices throughout the state of Florida. SJSA was in the same evaluation as two similar programs for UI claimants:  Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA) and IJSA with Training (IJSA+).

Populations and employment barriers:
Populations and employment barriers:

Effectiveness rating and effect by outcome domain

Need more context or definitions for the Outcome Domain table below?
View the "Table help" to get more insight into terms, measures, and definitions.

View table help

Scroll to the right to view the rest of the table columns

Outcome domain Term Effectiveness rating Effect in 2018 dollars and percentages Effect in standard deviations Sample size
Increase earnings Short-term Supported favorable $607 per year 0.029 10036
Long-term Supported favorable $251 per year 0.012 8655
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase employment Short-term Not supported favorable 1% (in percentage points) 0.015 10036
Long-term Not supported favorable 0% (in percentage points) 0.012 8655
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Decrease benefit receipt Short-term Not supported favorable $-52 per year -0.019 6046
Long-term Not supported unfavorable $47 per year 0.017 6046
Very long-term No evidence to assess support
Increase education and training All measurement periods No evidence to assess support

Studies of this intervention

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
High High 2

Implementation details

Dates covered by study

Participants received services between March 1995 and March 1996 in Florida, and between June 1995 and June 1996 in Washington, DC. Outcomes were measured for three years from when the participant’s initial UI claim was filed.

Organizations implementing intervention

SJSA was implemented by the local agency that administers the UI program in each site, which was the Department of Employment Services in Washington, DC, and the Department of Labor and Employment Security (DLES) in Florida. UI offices in Washington, DC, were responsible only for administering UI benefits and oversaw provision of services by local job agencies, whereas the local jobs and benefits offices operated by the Florida DLES were responsible for both UI claims and job service programs.

Populations served

Both locations used a two-step process to determine eligibility for SJSA, with the goal of focusing on UI claimants who had a higher likelihood of facing long periods of UI. In step one, three groups of UI claimants were screened out:

  • Claimants determined not at risk of facing long periods of UI (for example, workers with ties to a former employer)

  • Claimants with a long period of unemployment before UI application, as they would not meet SJSA’s goal of early intervention

  • Claimants who would face severe obstacles to participating in SJSA (for example, claimants in offices considered too small to provide services)

After the initial screening, both DC and Florida ran regression models to predict the likelihood that remaining claimants would exhaust all of their UI benefits, considering factors such as the participant’s industry of employment before UI, past occupation, years of employment, educational attainment, and the local unemployment rate. UI claimants predicted as likely to exhaust all UI benefits were selected for the SJSA demonstration program and assigned to a comparison group or to one of three intervention groups: IJSA, IJSA+, or SJSA. This brief describes the SJSA intervention only.

Characteristics of participants varied by location:

  • In Florida, the average participant was 43 years old and White (62 percent) or Hispanic (22 percent), with limited educational attainment (26 percent had no high school diploma, and 56 percent had no education beyond a high school diploma). The main prior industries of employment among Florida participants were services, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing, with the majority of participants serving an average of four years in a clerical or sales role at prior jobs.

  • In Washington, DC, the average participant was 38 years old and Black (83 percent), and held a high school diploma (55 percent) or associate’s degree (24 percent). The majority of participants previously worked in the services industry (57 percent), and most worked in a clerical or sales role (59 percent).

In Florida and Washington, DC, individuals who filed for UI cash benefits in UI offices received an initial eligibility determination and, if eligible, were randomly assigned to a comparison group or one of three intervention groups: SJSA, IJSA, or IJSA+. For UI claimants who were determined eligible, participation in their assigned services was mandatory, and they could lose their UI benefits if they failed to attend.

Description of services implemented

All SJSA participants were required to participate in an initial orientation and testing about seven weeks after filing for UI, followed by a job-search workshop and a one-on-one assessment interview with SJSA staff to develop an individual service plan. In the following 10 weeks, participants were required to make two additional contacts with SJSA staff to provide updates on their job search. Participants could optionally receive other job search assistance and placement services through the job service program.

The demonstration program was implemented as planned in both locations. More than a quarter of UI claimants in Florida were excused from participating in the mandatory orientation (offered at about six to seven weeks after job loss) and exited SJSA because they had obtained a new job or been recalled to a prior job. Participants in DC tended to have longer durations of UI, so only 5 percent of DC claimants were excused from orientation and exited SJSA. No notable changes in services occurred over the period of the study, although Florida was only able to offer orientations on a biweekly basis (rather than weekly, as in DC) because there were fewer participants in the scattered sites.

Service intensity

The average SJSA orientation and initial assessment each lasted 45 minutes at the DC site and 30 minutes at Florida sites. Participants were also required to participate in aptitude and interest testing, which lasted 4 hours; a job-search workshop, which lasted 15 hours at the DC site and 17 hours at Florida sites; and a one-on-one assessment interview, which lasted 30 minutes at the DC site and 10 minutes at Florida sites. About 80 percent of assigned participants in DC and 60 percent of assigned participants in Florida attended orientation, the first activity in a mandatory sequence. About 60 percent of assigned participants in DC and 45 percent of assigned participants in Florida participated in all of the activities after orientation; the majority who did not attend activities after orientation were excused from these services and exited SJSA because they had found work.

Comparison conditions

All UI claimants assigned to the comparison condition were required to fulfill the usual requirements to continue receiving UI benefits, including demonstrating that they were not working, “able and available” for work, and actively seeking work in weeks that they claimed benefits. They could also receive any services available in the community.

Partnerships

The study did not discuss any partners involved with implementing SJSA.

Staffing

The DC site used two staff to lead the mandatory orientation and the Florida sites used one staff member. All DC staff had office space and training for one-on-one counseling services but had limited physical space for group services and had difficulty retaining staff who had been trained to lead group services. The study authors did not include additional 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 intervention model.

Funding source

Funding for the SJSA demonstration came from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Service.

Cost information

The average cost per participant was $409 in 2018 dollars.

This figure is based on cost information reported by authors of the study or studies the Pathways Clearinghouse reviewed for this intervention. The Pathways Clearinghouse converted that information to a single amount expressed in 2018 dollars; for details, see the FAQ. Where there are multiple studies of an intervention rated high or moderate quality, the Pathways Clearinghouse computed the average of costs reported across those studies.

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

Local context

SJSA was implemented in the Washington, DC, metro area and at 10 offices throughout the state of Florida: Clearwater, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Hialeah, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, and St. Augustine. Several potential offices in Florida were excluded based on their size or the suitability of the population served (for example, areas where UI claims were largely based on seasonal agricultural layoffs by people who would likely not be actively seeking employment).

Characteristics of research participants
Black or African American
42%
White
41%
Unknown, not reported, or other
1%
Hispanic or Latino of any race
15%

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