Veteran and Non-Veteran Job Seekers: Exploratory Analysis of Services and Outcomes for Customers of Federally-funded Employment Services Final Report

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Release Date: February 01, 2015

Veteran and Non-Veteran Job Seekers: Exploratory Analysis of Services and Outcomes for Customers of Federally-funded Employment Services Final Report

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About the Report

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The report describes an exploratory investigation that contrasts the experiences of Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) veterans, non-JVSG veterans, and non-veterans who participated in federally-funded employment services. It examines employment rates, earnings, duration in employment services, and how quickly customers receive staff-assisted services. Comparisons were also made across gender, age, and military separation status.

The data used in the study encompass nine quarters, from January 2011 to March 2013, which were the most complete customer-level data available at the time of this report. Job seekers, who are customers of employment services, were tracked from quarter to quarter while they were enrolled in employment services and for three quarters after they exited. The nine quarters of data contain over 28 million unduplicated customer enrollments.

Previous analyses of these data have typically focused on the overall differences in outcomes between populations without controlling for the demographic differences between populations. This analysis improves upon those simple comparisons by using regression-adjusted comparisons.

Regression-adjusted comparisons account for the differences in gender, age, race, education, and disability status that exist between two populations, say veterans and non-veterans, before comparing them. For example, the veteran and non-veteran populations in the data have different education levels. A simple comparison of the earnings differences between the two would not account for those education differences. By contrast, regression-adjusted comparisons hold the education level constant across groups, effectively equalizing veteran and non-veteran education levels, before comparing outcomes.

Results of the analysis suggest that the JVSG veterans exhibit higher rates of employment and higher earnings after exiting the program compared to non-JVSG veterans and non-veterans. JVSG veterans also exhibit smaller gender wage gaps. JVSG veterans generally receive staff-assisted services more quickly than non-veterans do, which may be an indicator of success for priority of service (POS) legislation.

Research Questions

  • After exiting AJCs, how do employment outcomes differ for JVSG veterans, non-JVSG veterans, and non-veterans?
  • If employed, how do after-exit earnings differ for JVSG veterans, non-JVSG veterans, and non-veterans?
  • How does duration in employment services differ for JVSG veterans, non-JVSG veterans, and non-veterans?
  • How does time-to-first staff-assisted service differ for JVSG veterans, non-JVSG veterans, and non-veterans?
  • How do gender, age, and military separation status influence the results for these outcomes?
  • How do these outcomes differ across states?

Key Takeaways

  • JVSG veterans have higher entered employment rates (48%) than non-JVSG veterans (46%) and non-veterans (47%).
  • JVSG veterans have higher earnings ($20,625) in the first nine months after exit than non-JVSG veterans ($20,297) and non-veterans ($19,654).
  • On average, JVSG veterans receive their first staff-assisted services more quickly (8 days) than non-JVSG veterans (10 days) and non-veterans (10 days).
  • In the first nine months after exit, male-female gender earnings gaps for JVSG veterans ($2,386) are 19% smaller than gender earnings gaps for non-JVSG veterans ($2,942) and 34% smaller than gender earnings gaps for non-veterans ($3,638).
  • In the first nine months after exit, the earnings gap between Pre-9/11 and Recently Separated JVSG veterans is roughly $825; this earnings gap is $2,711 for Pre-9/11 and Recently Separated non-JVSG veterans.
  • A preliminary state-level analysis on a subset of demographically diverse states revealed that program outcomes can differ substantially by state.
  • A state-by-state comparative analysis is an important next step to examine the administration of employment services, the relative strengths and weaknesses of AJCs, and the regional influence on customer outcomes.

Research Gaps

  • Future research projects could take a more focused, targeted approach to certain veteran subgroups, such as female veterans, recently separated veterans, minority veterans, college-educated veterans, etc. These analyses could also be extended to non-veteran subgroups. A state-by-state comparative analysis is an important next step to examine the administration of employment services, the relative strengths and weaknesses of AJCs, and the regional influence on customer outcomes. (pages 3; 57)

Citation

Thompson, S., Hinton, N., Hoesly, L., Scott, L. (2015). Summit Consulting. Veteran and Non-Veteran Job Seekers: Exploratory Analysis of Services and Outcomes for Customers of Federally-Funded Employment Services. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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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.