At first glance, employment programme success is often measured by how many people secure jobs. Certainly, in the government’s latest definition of Social Value, they emphasise it & the link to productivity. But, as we’ve seen through our work in skills, employment and social mobility, this only tells part of the story.
I was recently asked to share thinking on evaluating social mobility and sustained employment with Macquarie Foundation’s social mobility partners across Europe, and thought our discussions were worth recording here.
Too often, jobs don’t last. Nationally, more than 1 in 5 who move from benefits into work are back on benefits within 13 weeks. Within six months, that rises to 40%. For the people our clients most want to support – lone parents, young adult carers, justice-experienced and care-experienced young people – the pattern is even starker. Lone parents often have the same employment rate, but leave at twice the rate.
This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about lives disrupted by instability, organisations missing their potential impact and society losing out on the benefits of real, lasting change.
And it isn’t just damaging for individuals, it’s economically inefficient. National Audit Office analysis shows that only when someone maintains employment for over six months there is then a net fiscal benefit to society. Below this threshold, the costs of cycling between benefits and short-term employment outweigh the benefits. We also know that long term, generational social mobility change happens after three or four years of sustained, secure employment that offers progression.
Shifting the measure of success
Sustained employment isn’t about ticking a box; it’s about creating the conditions for social mobility. That means:
- Enough hours and income to move out of poverty
- Structured opportunities to learn, grow and progress
- Workplaces that are flexible and inclusive, especially for those with caring responsibilities, and crucially offer ‘decent work’*
- Vocational learning & skills development offered at every stage.
If we want to break cycles of poverty, employment programmes and employers need to work together. We know from our project work that:
- Employers who invest in skills development and inclusive cultures see better retention and stronger business outcomes
- Programmes that extend support beyond job placement and help people people prepare for the next step create lasting change
- Funders who value long-term outcomes over short-term jobs start achieving deeper impact.
Quick wins in job numbers might make for easy social value reporting, but they don’t change lives. At Bean Research, we believe the real measure of success is whether people are still in work – and progressing – a year or two down the line.
Bean Research works with charities, funders and employers to evaluate what makes employment and skills programmes truly effective. By shifting the focus from “into employment” to “staying and progressing in employment”, social investment can deliver real social impact. That’s the difference between short-term fixes and long-term change.
