The Ontario government launched JobsNow in April 2005. It’s an innovative pilot project to help people currently on Ontario Works find and keep sustainable jobs. The program is a partnership between the province, WCG International and municipal social services in six municipal areas: Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor, Nipissing, Peel and Durham.
JobsNow focuses on people who have been on social assistance for 12 months or more. It provides intensive, one-on-one support to help them get back into the labour force and into long-term employment. JobsNow provides participants with individualized:
- job matching services;
- pre-employment supports;
- job orientation information;
- counselling and issues resolution services to address workplace or personal matters that make it difficult to maintain employment; and
- up to 18 months of job retention and follow-up services.
JobsNow is based on the principle that different people need different supports to find and keep a job. The program works one-on-one with individual social assistance clients and employers to match the right person to the right job.
The program places an aggressive emphasis on job retention because research has shown that individuals who are employed for a period of more than 12 months have a higher likelihood of remaining in a job. Current Ontario Works employment supports include up to six months of job retention services. While this approach works for some clients, it has proven less successful in helping longer-term unemployed individuals return to the workforce.
JobsNow pilot operations ended May 31, 2007. A third-party evaluator is now looking at the effectiveness and outcomes of the pilot. We expect the final report in the summer of 2008.
JobsNow Pilot Evaluation
The Ontario government launched JobsNow in April 2005. It’s an innovative pilot project to help people currently on Ontario Works find and keep sustainable jobs. The program is a partnership between the province, WCG International and municipal social services in six municipal areas: Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor, Nipissing, Peel and Durham.
A third party is evaluating the JobsNow pilot. The ministry is responsible for the cost of the evaluation.
The evaluation will analyze the effectiveness of JobsNow in helping longer-term Ontario Works recipients find sustainable employment, increase their earnings and achieve greater financial independence.
A number of factors will be evaluated, including:
- whether or not extended job retention supports help Ontario Works recipients maintain employment more than would otherwise be possible;
- whether or not extended job retention supports help Ontario Works recipients increase their earnings more than would otherwise be possible;
- if 18 months is an appropriate length of time to provide post-placement job retention supports;
- the characteristics of JobsNow that contribute most to successful employment outcomes; and
- the amount of income assistance savings that were achieved through JobsNow.
To determine the savings and employment outcomes of JobsNow, the evaluation will examine statistical data such as average monthly earnings, job retention rate and the percentage of participants leaving social assistance for employment. It will also include a survey of JobsNow pilot participants, which will assess service quality from a client perspective and collect additional demographic data (e.g., health issues, language barriers, etc.) on pilot participants. Where possible, a control group of Ontario Works clients will be used for comparative purposes.
Overall, the evaluation is intended to help the ministry determine the best way to provide extended job retention supports to social assistance recipients.
The evaluation is ongoing. We expect the final report in the summer of 2008.