Participation Patterns and Program Impacts of Hawaii's JOBS WORKS! Demonstration Project

The Hawaii Department of Human Services (HDHS) contracted with the Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas at Austin (CSHR) to conduct an impact evaluation of the JOBS WORKS! Demonstration. The pilot operated on the Island of Oahu from January 1995 through December 1996. The JOBS WORKS! demonstration offered immediate job search and job readiness activities, as well as job development and placement services, to AFDC recipients typically waiting for “openings” in education and training activities of the regular Hawaii JOBS program. JOBS WORKS! was based on the premise that AFDC adults and their families would benefit from these labor market experiences, instead of simply waiting for the more intensive human capital development options of the Hawaii JOBS program. Differences in impacts between the experimental and control groups were calculated to judge the influence of JOBS WORKS! on participants’ self-sufficiency and AFDC participation.