Populations with Barriers to Employment

Many people who want and need to work face major barriers to doing so, from a physical or mental disabilities to limited educational attainment to prior experience or involvement with the criminal legal system or law enforcement. MDRC designs and evaluates programs that provide support to people who face such obstacles and aim to create greater stability in people’s lives.
Highlights
Report

Final Impacts of the Next Generation of Subsidized Employment Programs

“Transitional jobs” are temporary, subsidized jobs meant to teach participants basic work skills or help them get started with an employer. The Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration tested seven such programs for people recently released from prison or low-income parents behind on child support. This report presents the final impact results.

Report

Highlights from the Jobs Plus Pilot Program Evaluation

Jobs Plus promotes employment among public housing residents through employment services, rent rule changes that provide incentives to work, and community support for work. Within the first 18 months, all nine public housing agencies in this evaluation had begun structuring their programs, building partnerships, and implementing the model’s core components.

Report

Subsidized jobs programs seek to increase employment and earnings among individuals who have not been able to find jobs on their own. This report presents the perspectives of participants of 11 such programs. Although there were successes, the majority could not translate their experiences into unsubsidized work.