Evaluating the impact of the Winning New Jobs Programme on the re-employment and mental health of a mixed profile of unemployed people

Abstract

This paper reports on the evaluation of the JOBS programme (Caplan et al, 1989), an evidence-based intervention designed to promote re-employment and improve the mental health of the unemployed. While previous evaluations have examined the programme's effects on the recently unemployed, this study examines the programme with a mixed profile of participants, including those long-term unemployed. The JOBS programme was adapted as the Winning New Jobs (WNJ) programme and implemented in the Republic and North of Ireland. It employs a quasi-experimental design, and programme outcomes included re-employment, general and mental health, and job search behaviour followed up over 12 months. The programme has produced positive long-term results, particularly with regard to re-employment. Specifically, 47.7% of the intervention group were employed compared with 16.8% of the comparison group at the one-year follow-up. WNJ also had a positive effect on reducing economic hardship and enhancing inoculation against setbacks.