Employment and Earnings Outcomes of TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative Grant Program Participants Outcomes Report
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About the Report
In 2016, the Chief Evaluation Office of the Department of Labor (DOL) contracted with Westat and its partner MDRC (the evaluation team) to conduct an evaluation of the strategies used in the H-1B TechHire Partnership (TechHire) and Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant programs and measure the programs’ impacts. This short paper describes the labor market outcomes of participants in the grant programs, combining data from two administrative sources. This short paper examines employment and earnings patterns over the 2 years after program entry, changes in employment and earnings, and differences in changes in earnings by program and participant characteristics. It also summarizes implications of the findings for future programs and provides suggestions for future research.
This short paper analyzes employment and earnings for participants who enrolled in program years (PY) 2018 and 2019 (n=13,029). The National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) provided four quarters of employment and earnings data before enrollment and eight quarters after enrollment. (Readers should also refer to the implementation and impact study components of the evaluation for additional context and findings about the TechHire and SWFI programs.)
Key Takeaways
- Ninety percent of participants were employed at some point during the 2 years after program entry.
- On average, participants earned $24,845 per year in the 2 years after entry.
- Fifty-nine percent of participants experienced an increase in earnings from the year before program entry to the second year after program entry. The average increase was $8,087 (adjusted for inflation).
- Participants who trained in information technology (IT) and advanced manufacturing had greater earnings gains than those who trained in health care.
- Earnings increases were larger for men; White, non-Hispanic participants; participants under age 25; and participants with at least some college or technical education.
Citation
Gasper, J., Baier, K., Appel-Newby, E., (2024). Westat. Employment and Earnings Outcomes of TechHire and Strengthening Working Families Initiative Grant Program Participants. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.