Population: Low-Income Populations

People in Low-Wage Jobs

People who work low-wage jobs often earn incomes without opportunities for economic mobility, leaving many families in poverty. MDRC designs and tests initiatives to support and improve the economic well-being of these workers so they can remain steadily employed and move into higher earning jobs.

The Latest

Working Paper

Career and Technical Education: Current Policy, Prominent Programs, and Evidence

High school and college students need more and better training to find jobs in the quickly evolving technical workforce. Courses of study in career and technical education (CTE) aim to provide these skills. This working paper examines the challenges to providing CTE and highlights the need for further research.

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Full

Report

Comparing the Costs and Benefits of Two Approaches to Addressing Nonpayment of Child Support

The Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) project integrated procedural justice (the idea of fairness in processes) into enforcement at six child support agencies. This report compares the benefits and costs of PJAC services with those of business-as-usual child support enforcement.

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Full

Key Documents

Report

Increasing Employment Stability and Earnings for Low-Wage Workers

Lessons from the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Project

Many recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other low-income individuals find or keep jobs for a while, but far fewer remain steadily employed and advance in the labor market. This report describes results and draws lessons from rigorous evaluations of 12 programs seeking to improve employment retention and advancement among low-wage workers.

Strategies to Help Low-Wage Workers Advance

Implementation and Final Impacts of the Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) Demonstration

WASC sought to increase the incomes of low-wage workers by stabilizing employment, improving skills, increasing earnings, and easing access to work supports. The program increased workers’ receipt of work supports. In the two sites that eased access to funds for training, WASC increased the receipt of certificates and licenses and increased earnings in the third year.

Encouraging Evidence on a Sector-Focused Advancement Strategy

Two-Year Impacts from the WorkAdvance Demonstration

WorkAdvance provides demand-driven skills training and a focus on jobs with career pathways. As detailed in this full report, all four programs studied greatly increased training completion and credential acquisition. Employment outcomes varied by site, with large, consistent impacts at the most experienced provider and promising results at two others.

The Noncredit Career and Technical Education Study at the Virginia Community College System Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Job Training	Google’s Career Certificates Initiative Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Job Training	Pay for Success Clean Energy Training Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Youth Employment Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York
Returning Citizens Stimulus Study Focus Area: Corrections and Reentry Financial Incentives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes	Building and Sustaining the Early Care and Education Workforce (BASE) Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Job Retention and Advancement Population: Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Families	Supporting Moves to Opportunity Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives Locations: Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin
CTE Advise: Advising Tools in Secondary Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	Moving To Work Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives	Creating Moves to Opportunity Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives Locations: Washington
MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education Focus Area: High School Transition to Postsecondary Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Youth Employment Job Retention and Advancement Population: Young Adults Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Employment Services, Dual-Enrollment/Bridge Programs	Grameen America Evaluation Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Populations with Barriers to Employment Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: New Jersey	The Cascades Job Corps College and Career Academy Pilot Evaluation Focus Area: Youth Employment Student Services Job Retention and Advancement Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Young Adults Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Student Services, Classroom Services, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Washington
The TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services	Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Focus Area: Family Relationships Child Support Population: Families Populations with Low Incomes Locations: Arizona, California, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia	Families Forward Demonstration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Child Support Population: Populations with Low Incomes Families Intervention: Sectoral Training, Career & Technical Education, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Colorado, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	The SNAP Employment and Training Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia	MDRC Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools
Subprime Lending Data Exploration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes	NYC Change Capital Fund’s Economic Mobility Initiative Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Locations: New York	SaveUSA Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas
Rent Reform Demonstration Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives	WorkAdvance Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Career & Technical Education, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: New York, Ohio, Oklahoma	Paycheck Plus: Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for Single Adults Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Asset Building, Financial Incentives Locations: Georgia, New York
The Family Self-Sufficiency Program Evaluation Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Case Management, Asset Building, Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: California, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas	Chicago’s New Communities Program Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Elementary and Middle School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Population: Populations with Low Incomes Locations: Illinois	WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin
Mayor’s Fund & Center for Economic Opportunity Social Innovation Fund Project Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Young Adults Intervention: Sectoral Training, Reemployment Programs, Asset Building, Financial Incentives, GED Completion, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas	Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Project Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

Work Rewards Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Financial Incentives Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives, Employment Services Locations: New York	The “Make Work Pay” Experiments Focus Area: Financial Incentives Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Financial Incentives Locations: Canada, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin	AutoSave Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Asset Building Locations: California, New York, Ohio
Employment Retention and Advancement Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Welfare-to-Work, Case Management, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas	Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration Focus Area: Work Support and Asset Building Job Retention and Advancement Population: Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Case Management, Benefits Planning, Counseling/Advising, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: California, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas	The UK Employment Retention and Advancement Project Focus Area: Job Retention and Advancement Financial Incentives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Families Intervention: Reemployment Programs, Welfare-to-Work, Financial Incentives, Job Training, Employment Services Locations: United Kingdom
The Camden Regional Equity Demonstration Project Focus Area: Housing/Community Initiatives Population: Populations with Low Incomes Locations: New Jersey

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People in Low-Wage Jobs

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