The effectiveness of the JOBS program among the long-term unemployed: a randomized experiment in the Netherlands

Given the adverse effects of long-term unemployment, it is of major concern that evidence-based interventions are available for the long-term unemployed. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of the JOBS program, a group training for the unemployed [Caplan, R. D., Vinokur, A. D., Price, R. H. and Van Ryn, M. (1989). Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 759769], among long-term unemployed individuals. In a randomly controlled trial, JOBS was compared with a control condition and a voucher intervention, in which individuals were given the opportunity to spend a certain budget on services that could help them reintegrate. After 6 months JOBS participants had more often found a job and were more satisfied with the intervention. After 12 months effects were still visible, but less pronounced.