Research and Statistics

Jobseekers Allowance intervention pilots quantitative evaluation

Research Report No. 382

by Jayne Middlemas

The Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) Intervention Pilots were introduced in January 2005 to test different approaches to the fortnightly jobsearch review (FJR) within the first 13 weeks of the JSA claim, with 13 Districts and 137 offices participating at the outset. The pilots aimed to deliver resource savings without reducing unemployment off-flow rates or increasing fraud and the failure to report changes of circumstances.

Six approaches were piloted å? five relating to signing and one seeking to predict which new customers were likely to leave the register within the first 13 weeks, as follows:

  • Excusal of signing for the first 13 weeks of the JSA claim å? with a random call-in during the first 11 weeks of the claim.
  • Excusal of signing for the first seven weeks å? with a random call-in during the first five weeks of the claim.
  • Telephone signing å? customers 'sign' by telephone every fortnight, with a random call-in during the first 13 weeks of the claim.
  • Shortened FJR å? customers continue to sign fortnightly, but with a shortened FJR.
  • Group signing å? customers continue to sign on fortnightly, but do so in groups.
  • Segmentation å? new customers are segmented at the first NJI to identify those likely to come off the register in the first 13 weeks, with no change to signing arrangements.

    With the exception of the segmentation pilot, new customers claiming JSA during the pilot period were allocated on a random basis to either å?programmeå? or å?control groupså?.

    This report provides the findings of the quantitative component of the evaluation of the JSA Intervention Regime Pilots.

    September 2006

    ISBN 1 84712 089 X

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