Study Details | Pathways to Work

3190.05-Individualized Job S

Study quality: High

Intervention: Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA)

Services provided: Case management, Work readiness activities, Job search assistance

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study Design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Evaluators determined who was eligible for the demonstration through a two-stage screening process that first identified unemployment insurance (UI) claimants who were permanently separated from their previous job and then selected the claimants who were mostly likely to exhaust their UI benefits. The evaluators then randomly assigned eligible claimants to one of three treatment groups—Structured Job Search Assistance, IJSA, or IJSA with Training—or to a comparison group. This review focuses on comparisons of the IJSA group to the comparison group in Florida. Other reviews examine additional contrasts.

Time period of study:

Assignment occurred from March 1995 to March 1996, and individuals were followed for three years.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase long-term earnings, Increase long-term employment, Increase short-term employment, Decrease short-term benefit receipt, Decrease long-term benefit receipt

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The funder for the study was the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Service.

Results

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

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 6	High	-35.00	1996 dollars	5,990
Increase long-term earnings	Quarterly earnings	Quarter 12	High	50.00	1998 dollars	5,159
Increase short-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 6	High	1.30	percentage points	5,990
Increase long-term employment	Ever employed, quarterly	Quarter 12	High	0.20	percentage points	5,159
Decrease short-term benefit receipt	Amount of UI payments, annual	Year 1	High	-100.00	1996 dollars	6,021
Decrease long-term benefit receipt	Amount of UI payments, annual	Year 2	High	2.00	1997 dollars	6,021

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample Characteristics

Age

Mean age

43 years

Sex

Female	46%
Male	54%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	16%
White	62%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	22%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were unemployed

100%

Participant education

Had some postsecondary education	19%
Had a high school diploma or GED	74%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	26%

Intervention Implementation

Implementing organization:

Local UI offices oversaw service provision by local job service agencies.

Program history:

The program was developed for the demonstration.

Intervention services:

UI claimants were required to participate in an orientation and a one-on-one assessment interview. During the interview, program staff developed a service plan to address the claimant's needs; the plan’s demonstration-specific services, such as aptitude and interest testing, job search workshops, or additional counseling, were mandatory.

Comparison services:

UI claimants were required to fulfill the usual requirements in Florida to continue receiving unemployment compensation benefits. They could also receive any services available in the community.

Service receipt duration:

On average, UI claimants completed service receipt 65 days after they began receiving UI benefits.

Study Publications

Decker, Paul T., Lance Freeman, and Daniel H. Klepinger (1999). Assisting unemployment insurance claimants: The one-year impacts of the Job Search Assistance Demonstration, Washington, DC: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.

Decker, Paul, Robert Olsen, Lance Freeman, and Daniel Klepinger (2000). Assisting unemployment insurance claimants: The long-term impacts of the Job Search Assistance Demonstration, Washington, DC: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/owsdrr/00-2/00-02.pdf.

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

Study of Individualized Job Search Assistance (IJSA)—Florida