Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2000
Partnerships to Improve Employment and Self-Sufficiency Outcomes
State Outcome Goal Plans
In FY 1996 ORR undertook a joint effort with States to improve State performance in refugee employment and self-sufficiency outcomes. States and California counties have been required since FY 1996 to establish annual outcome goals aimed at continuous improvement of performance along the following six outcome measures:
· Entered Employments, defined as the entry of a refugee into unsubsidized employment.
· Terminations Due to Earnings, defined as the termination of a cash assistance case (RCA, TANF, and general assistance) due to earned income.
· Reductions Due to Earnings, defined as a reduction in the amount of cash assistance that a case receives as a result of earned income.
· Average Wage at Placement, calculated as the sum of the hourly wages for the full-time placements divided by the total number of individuals placed in employment.
· Job Retentions, defined as the number of persons working for wages (in any unsubsidized job) on the 90th day after placement. This is a measure of continued participation in the labor market, not retention of a specific job.
· Entered Employments with Health Benefits, defined as a job placement with health benefits offered within six months of employment, regardless of whether the refugee actually accepts the coverage offered.
ORR tracked State and county performance throughout the year, with FY 2000 performance reported as follows:
· Entered Employments totaled 48,900 a three percent decline from the number recorded in FY 1999 (50,173).
· Terminations due to Earnings totaled 15,438 a seven percent decline from FY 1999 (16,531).
· Reductions due to Earnings totaled 5,462 a one percent increase from FY 1999 (5,403).
· Average Wage at Placement ($7.57) rose five percent from FY 1999 ($7.20).
· Employment Retentions (33,743) a six percent decline from FY 1999 (35,739).
· Entered Employments with Health Benefits reached 27,094 a five percent decline from FY 1999 (28,579).
These performance measure outcomes must be viewed in the overall context of decreasing arrival numbers, and a slightly increasing (one percent) caseload. A caseload is defined as the unduplicated number of active employable adults enrolled in employment services. In FY 2000 the caseload increased by one percent. The rate of job placements decreased by three percent, and 69 percent of refugees who found employment retained their employment for ninety days, a two percent decrease from FY 1999. Sixty-two percent of full-time placements offered health insurance, compared to 67 percent the year before.
Twenty-one States and six California counties exceeded their entered employments from last year. Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Sacramento County exceeded their placements last year by more than a third.
Sixteen States and six California counties increased the number of cash assistance terminations over the previous year. Three States (Mississippi, New Mexico and New Hampshire) reported that every cash assistance recipient placed in employment terminated assistance after job placement. In Florida, 99 percent of the cash assistance recipients placed in employment terminated assistance after job placement.
Seventeen States and two California counties improved the job retention rate over the previous year. Retention rates of over 90 percent were reported in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Utah. Retention rates of 80 to 90 percent were reported in sixteen States. Among California counties, Alameda (100 percent) and San Joaquin (82 percent) recorded high rates of retention.
FY 2000 saw significant improvement in the quality of jobs found for refugees. Forty-one States and all of the California counties reported higher wages at placement than in FY 1999. Massachusetts ($8.75), Minnesota ($8.64), Mississippi ($8.50), New York ($8.44), Illinois ($8.35), North Carolina ($8.34), Wisconsin ($8.31), Kansas ($8.21), District of Columbia ($8.20), New Hampshire ($8.10), Delaware ($8.07), Iowa ($8.05), San Francisco County ($11.41), Santa Clara County ($9.30), and Alameda County ($8.56), reported the highest average wage at placement. Twenty-two other States and three California counties reported average wage at placement of $7.00 or above.
Refugees found employment not only at higher wages, but also with more benefits. Eighteen States and three California counties increased their rates of health benefit availability over FY 1999. Indiana found health insurance for all of its 323 job placements, as did New Mexico (172), Hawaii (11), and Arkansas (3). Nine other States—Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia—and one California county—Yolo—reported that at least 90 percent of its entered employments included health benefits. In thirteen other States, at least 80 percent of refugees found employment with health benefits available.
ORR also tracked the cost per job placement in each State and California county. This measure is the ratio of the total funds used by the State for employment services divided by the number of entered employments recorded during the fiscal year. The State average unit cost was $1,712 per job placement. The range was quite wide, however, from a low of $384 per placement (Indiana) to a high of $4,970 per placement (Delaware). In California counties, unit costs ranged from $1,053 per placement (San Joaquin) to $5,333 per placement (San Francisco). California’s overall average unit cost was $3,656.
Shown below are a summary of the FY 1999 and FY 2000 outcomes by State. The caseload presented for each State and county consists of the number of refugees with whom a service provider had regular and direct involvement during the fiscal year in planned employment-related activities for the purpose of assisting the refugee to find or retain employment. For terminations, reductions, and retentions, each goal and outcome is also described as a percentage of entered employments. Some States opted to express terminations and reductions as a percentage of refugee cash assistance recipients who entered employment, rather than as a percentage of all entered employments. Health benefit availability is presented as a percentage of full-time entered employments.
Alabama |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Caseload |
127 |
|
145 |
|
Entered Employments |
91 |
|
141 |
97 % |
Terminations |
0 |
0 % |
0 |
0 % |
Reductions |
0 |
0 % |
0 |
0 % |
Average Wage |
$6.50 |
|
$6.28 |
|
Retentions |
72 |
100 % |
111 |
71 % |
Health Benefits |
34 |
37 % |
50 |
35 % |
Arizona |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Caseload |
1,736 |
|
1,247 |
|
|
||
Entered Employments |
1,530 |
|
917 |
74 % |
|
||
Terminations |
750 |
50 % |
693 |
76 % |
|
||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $6.39 997 1,383 |
0 %
65 % 94 % |
3 $6.84 808 838 |
1 %
80 % 93 % |
|
||
Arkansas |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
12 |
|
3 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
12 |
|
3 |
100 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
4 |
100 % |
0 |
0 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $7.18 12
|
0 %
100 % 100 % |
0 $8.25 3 3 |
0 %
100 % 100 % |
|
|||
Colorado |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
648 |
|
342 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
400 |
|
167 |
49 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
156 |
88 % |
21 |
72 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
22 $7.60 402 328 |
15 %
93 % 89 % |
8 $7.97 144 134 |
28 %
90 % 93 % |
|
|||
Connecticut |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
996 |
|
934 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
658 |
|
622 |
67 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
134 |
86 % |
116 |
74 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
21 $7.69 345 302 |
14 %
58 % 52 % |
14 $7.75 359 311 |
9 %
47 % 54 % |
|
|||
Delaware |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
18 |
|
15 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
16 |
|
10 |
67 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
9 |
60 % |
9 |
90 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
2 $8.57 14 14 |
13 %
93 % 93 % |
1 $8.07 12 8 |
10 %
86 % 89 % |
|
|||
Dist. of Columbia |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
264 |
|
226 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
183 |
|
170 |
75% |
|
|||
Terminations |
167 |
41 % |
157 |
92% |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
16 $8.07 121 124 |
9%
65% 74% |
13 $8.20 111 125 |
8%
75% 80% |
|
|||
Florida |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
18,738 |
|
24,538 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
7,526 |
|
10,511 |
43 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
2,903 |
100% |
3,782 |
99 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $5.74 6,219 2,213 |
0%
80% 31% |
0 $6.43 7,588 3,457 |
0 %
66 % 35 % |
|
|||
Georgia |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
1,994 |
|
2,936 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
1,356 |
|
2,055 |
70 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
366 |
82 % |
593 |
87 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $7.50 859 936 |
0 %
68 % 70 % |
0 $7.70 1260 1342 |
0 %
75 % 65 % |
|
|||
Hawaii |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
72 |
|
80 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
22 |
|
22 |
28 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
7 |
32 % |
6 |
27 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
4 $5.59 30 18 |
18 %
86 % 100 % |
16 $6.03 17 11 |
73 %
85 % 100 % |
|
|||
Idaho |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
437 |
|
463 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
258 |
|
322 |
70 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
155 |
78 % |
199 |
77 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $6.61 201 153 |
0 %
87 % 70 % |
0 $6.80 266 226 |
0 %
84 % 81 % |
|
|||
Illinois |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Caseload |
5,859 |
|
4345 |
|
|
||
Entered Employments |
3,654 |
|
2579 |
59 % |
|
||
Terminations |
866 |
53 % |
631 |
44 % |
|
||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
676 $7.99 1,924 1,800 |
41 %
53 % 64 % |
416 $8..35 1,753 1,498 |
29 %
68 % 70 % |
|
||
Indiana |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caseload |
665 |
|
356 |
|
|
|
Entered Employments |
317 |
|
339 |
95 % |
|
|
Terminations |
64 |
45 % |
96 |
54 % |
|
|
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $7.70 300 272 |
0 %
91 % 91 % |
4 $7.60 284 323 |
2 %
98 % 100 % |
|
Iowa |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
1,286 |
|
875 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
754 |
|
862 |
99 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
386 |
51 % |
384 |
45 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
24 $7.57 603 473 |
3 %
80 % 72% |
133 $8.05 596 620 |
15 %
66 % 90 % |
|
|||
Kansas |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
432 |
|
303 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
284 |
|
188 |
62 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
75 |
71 % |
24 |
28 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
19 $7.90 284 187 |
18 %
89 % 81 % |
6 $8.21 173 136 |
7 %
81 % 85 % |
|
|||
Louisiana |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
368 |
|
232 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
274 |
|
186 |
80 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
63 |
23 % |
37 |
58 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
28 $5.85 203 82 |
10 %
72 % 34 % |
15 $6.03 143 67 |
23 %
72 % 39 % |
|
|||
Maine |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
305 |
|
267 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
237 |
|
212 |
79 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
87 |
37 % |
83 |
39 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
62 $7.21 196 93 |
26 %
83 % 53 % |
40 $7.87 213 80 |
19 %
88 % 48 % |
|
|||
Maryland |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
589 |
|
519 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
501 |
|
354 |
68 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
149 |
78 % |
111 |
48 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $7.44 437 373 |
0 %
76 % 86 % |
0 $7.58 278 260 |
0 %
70 % 87 % |
|
|||
Massachusetts |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
1,775 |
|
1,925 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
1,083 |
|
1,153 |
60 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
520 |
48 % |
601 |
52 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
145 $8.75 776 741 |
13 %
72 % 87 % |
261 $8.76 756 784 |
23 %
65 % 81% |
|
|||
Michigan |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
2,794 |
|
2,794 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
1,828 |
|
1,801 |
64 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
471 |
69 % |
685 |
78 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
146 $7.44 1,265 1,445 |
21 %
76 % 88 % |
179 $7.82 1,610 1471 |
20 %
75 % 92 % |
|
|||
Minnesota |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
2,611 |
|
2,777 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
1,423 |
|
1,461 |
53 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
373 |
26 % |
349 |
24 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
309 $8.07 1,088 1,073 |
22 %
78 % 91 % |
292 $8.64 1,065 1,002 |
20 %
72 % 87 % |
|
|||
Mississippi |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Caseload |
416 |
|
469 |
|
|
||
Entered Employments |
278 |
|
315 |
67 % |
|
||
Terminations |
17 |
100 % |
50 |
100 % |
|
||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $8.10 222 138 |
0 %
70 % 51 % |
$8.00 282 154 |
0 %
70 % 49 % |
|
||
Missouri |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
2,246 |
|
2,254 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
1,413 |
|
1,304 |
58% |
|
|||
Terminations |
458 |
96 % |
202 |
60% |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
17 $7.14 857 1,136 |
4 %
78 % 83 % |
125 $7.71 940 1,129 |
37%
72% 93% |
|
|||
Montana |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
292 |
|
245 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
73 |
|
31 |
13 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
33 |
51 % |
5 |
16 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
22 $6.51 38 9 |
34 %
62 % 12 % |
4 $6.80 26 3 |
13 %
93 % 12 % |
|
|||
Nebraska |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
190 |
|
339 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
190 |
|
230 |
68 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
117 |
95 % |
90 |
88 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
6 $7.15 207 150 |
5 %
86 % 79 % |
12 $8.25 204 118 |
5 %
83 % 86 % |
|
|||
New Hampshire |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Caseload |
445 |
|
381 |
|
|
||||
Entered Employments |
334 |
|
323 |
85 % |
|
||||
Terminations |
251 |
100 % |
188 |
100 % |
|
||||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $7.54 273 194 |
0 %
98 % 59 % |
0 $8.10 340 264 |
0 %
76 % 82 % |
|
||||
New Jersey |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
1,119 |
|
1,126 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments
|
626 |
|
747 |
66 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
181 |
72 % |
210 |
70 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
70 $7.55 480 307 |
28 %
80 % 58 % |
75 $7.77 552 448 |
25 %
75 % 70 % |
|
|||
New Mexico |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
691 |
|
472 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
480 |
|
194 |
41 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
10 |
100 % |
21 |
100 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
0 $5.83 442 336 |
0 %
49 % 70 % |
0 $6.86 143 172 |
0 %
57 % 100 % |
|
|||
New York |
FY 1999 |
FY 2000 |
|
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Caseload |
6,372 |
|
6,247 |
|
|
|||
Entered Employments |
3,581 |
|
4,265 |
68 % |
|
|||
Terminations |
2,218 |
62 % |
1,301 |
61 % |
|
|||
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits |
740 $8.60 2,515 1,764 |
21 %
70 % 67 % |
839 $8.44 1,884 1,726 |
39 %
71% 60% |
|
|||