The evaluation of job creation programmes, with particular reference to the Farm Employment Programme

Abstract

The Department of Labour operates five job creation programmes, four to create permanent jobs in the private sector and one to create temporary jobs in the public sector. The private sector programmes have the dual aims of assisting private employers to maintain or increase staff numbers (by the payment of wage subsidies to employers) and providing greater opportunities for unemployed. The main features of the programmes are summarised in Table 1. The numbers employed under each of these programmes to September 1979, are shown in Appendix 1. A research programme to evaluate the Farm Employment Programme was devised by the author in conjunction with the Department of Labour in mid-1979, and a pilot study was subsequently carried out. The main research study did not proceed for reasons connected to the Department of Labour, but it was felt appropriate to record the evaluation procedure and such results as could be gleaned from the pilot survey. In particular, this paper aims to indicate the methodology which could be used to undertake evaluations of manpower programmes.