Subsidized Employment Is a Strategy for Tough Economic Times and for the Hard-to-Employ

Subsidized employment programs create jobs for unemployed individuals using public funds. According to this issue brief by MDRC, these programs are helpful in challenging economic circumstances when individuals are struggling to find work, and they are also helpful to those who have barriers to employment because they allow these individuals to gain workplace experience. The brief discusses benefits of these programs and also discusses a type of subsidized employment, transitional jobs. In transitional jobs programs, individuals are offered a temporary job to build their skills and offered additional support services while they seek permanent work.