The National Governors Association sponsored a meeting in November 2007 on promising practices and evidence-based approaches to help families attain employment, advance to better jobs, and sustain self-sufficiency. This webpage provides an overview of presentations and event sessions from this meeting.

Through MDRC’s Employment Retention and Advancement project, this report presents findings after two years of a program in Riverside County, California. The program’s objective was to promote job retention and advancement among employed individuals who recently left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It was found that participants in the program had increased employment rates of four percent above the control group, and increased earnings of 11 percent.

Authored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this research brief provides information on car ownership programs for low-income families to support job stability. This resource offers information on local programs around the country aimed at providing low-income families with the opportunity to own their own vehicle.

This policy brief explores the position of women in the labor force over the past 25 years. Across all labor categories, the number of women in the workforce has increased, and the male/female wage gap has narrowed. Less-skilled women currently fare better than their male counterparts, but are not faring as well as women with more education.

Authored by Dr. Susan R. Crandall. Found in the Welfare Information Network's Issue Notes, Volume 8, Number 1. This resource provides guidance to States and localities on recognizing employer best practices, partnering with employers and agencies, targeting employers, and funding availability.

This policy brief gives evidence on the determinants of earnings advances for the working class. It considers the implications for a refined job advancement strategy for welfare recipients and other low earners. Based on the study, an effective job advancement strategy would aid the placement of low earners into jobs with higher-wage employers and would integrate with the private sector for further advancement opportunities.

This article, through the Urban Institute, explores worker characteristics for job retention and advancement and strategies for improving these outcomes for low-income workers. Strategies for increased job stability include financial incentives, intensive case management, skill development, and employer-focused strategies. The article concludes with next steps for policymakers and researchers.

This resource reviews the integration of job retention and advancement programs with local workforce development programs. Ten local programs were supportive in creating retention and job advancement initiatives. Evidence from the ten programs suggest the value of such initiatives to improve outcomes for low-income families.

This article, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, reviews three successful programs from the Jobs Initiative. The Jobs Initiative was developed 9 years ago to help low-income workers maintain employment and advance in the workplace. This piece outlines the strengths from 3 successful programs that help promote job retention.

This resource provides results from a 2-year follow-up of a Texas job retention and advancement program for TANF recipients. Implemented in Corpus Christi, Houston, and Fort Worth, this study found that while pre-employment services were important, post-employment services made key impacts for increasing job retention and advancement among TANF recipients.