Administrative Data Matching-Georgia

Tracking Recipients after They Leave Welfare

Administrative Data Matching-Georgia

Transition from Welfare to Work: Findings from the First Year of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

Date: November 1998

Investigator: Georgia Department of Human Resources

Method - Data matching between all closed cases during the four quarters of 1997 and the state unemployment insurance wage records through the fourth quarters of 1997.

Findings in Brief

Employment status

During the exit quarter		65%

During the first quarter after exit		63%
	Percent earning more than $4000*	12%
	Percent earning more than $3000*	27%
	Percent earning more than $2000*	52%
	Percent earning more than $1000*	75%

During the second quarter after exit		59%
During the third quarter after exit		58%

*earnings are total average earnings per quarter

Employment and non-employment retention

	Of those who were working in the quarter they exited welfare:
		88% worked in the following quarter
		80% worked in the second following quarter
		78% worked in the third following quarter

	Of those who did not work in the quarter they exited welfare
		17% worked in the following quarter
		21% worked in the second following quarter
		25% worked in the third following quarter

Employment rates were high for younger recipients, even though they tended to have younger children.

Age	Average Age of Youngest Child	Work rate
18&19	1.8	62%
20 - 29	3.4	70%
30-39	7.6	64%
40-49	10.8	51%
50 & older	12.9	28%

Georgia

Employment rates at exit were substantially higher for black recipients (70%) than for white recipients (53%) or for members of other minority groups (48%).
Employment during the first post-exit quarter was concentrated in organizations providing services (43%) and engaged in wholesale or retail trade (36%).
Earning levels are strongly associated with retention in employment.

Wage level in 1st		Had earnings in both
post-exit quarter		subsequent quarters
none		N/A
$999 and below		52.7%
$1000-2999		82.1%
$3000-4999		89.3%
above $5000		93.7%

For more information please contact Jack Tweedie or Dana Reichert at NCSL, 303-830-2200.