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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—SJSA, Individualized Job Search Assistance, or Individualized Job Search Assistance with Training—or to a comparison group. This review focuses on comparisons of the SJSA group to the comparison group in Florida. Other reviews examine additional contrasts.
Assignment occurred from March 1995 to March 1996, and individuals were followed for three years.
The funder for the study was the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Service.
UI claimants eligible for the demonstration in Florida were slightly more likely to be male (54 percent) than female (46 percent), and the majority of participants were White (62 percent). When the study began, 26 percent did not have a high school diploma. The UI claimants had been employed in a variety of industries. Before the study, nearly half (46 percent) had been employed in clerical and sales occupations, and 61 percent had been employed in their previous job for fewer than three years.
Local UI offices oversaw service provision by local job service agencies.
The program was developed for the demonstration.
UI claimants were required to participate in an orientation, aptitude and interest testing, a job search workshop, and a one-on-one assessment interview, and were required to have at least two additional contacts with staff after these initial activities to report on their job search progress.
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.
All participants were required to receive services in order to remain eligible for UI payments.
On average, UI claimants completed service receipt 65 days after they began receiving UI benefits.
U.S. Department of Labor
Ten UI and job services offices in Florida.
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