PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Schlosser, Analia
AU  - Shanan, Yannay
TI  - Fostering Soft Skills in Active Labor Market Programs
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0723-13013R1
DP  - 2025 Jan 08
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 0723-13013R1
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/01/03/jhr.0723-13013R1.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/01/03/jhr.0723-13013R1.full
AB  - Using a large-scale randomized controlled trial, we evaluate the effectiveness of an Active Labor Market Program that focuses on enhancing soft skills of welfare recipients. The program increased participants’ employment rates and decreased income-support recipiency. The impacts persist five to six years after the program’s implementation, even during the Covid-19 crisis. The analysis of the mechanisms shows positive effects on the soft skills of the participants, mainly among those with no recent employment history, who gradually joined the labor market after participation in the program. In contrast, individuals with a recent employment spell joined the labor market soon after their assignment to the program.