"Fokus Arbeit" (Focus on Work)

Last registered on March 21, 2022

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
"Fokus Arbeit" (Focus on Work)
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009085
Initial registration date
March 14, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 21, 2022, 1:29 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Bern University of Applied Sciences

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Bern University of Applied Sciences

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-03-18
End date
2022-05-02
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In the three-year project "Fokus Arbeit" (Focus on Work) of the Social Welfare Department of the City of Biel, recipients of social assistance will develop professional perspectives together with other recipients in a group intervention, which should have a positive effect on their chances of becoming independent of social assistance.

Recipients of assistance will attend group workshops led by coaches for two to three half-days each week over a period of four to six weeks. A total of 12 half-days are required for the implementation of the program. In the workshops, the participants will develop vocational integration plans, which they can pursue independently during the rest of the week.

A total of up to 2640 study participants are expected, of which one in ten is assigned to the control group. The program will target individuals who meet all inclusion criteria without meeting any of the exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria are: Age of majority (18+ years), simple oral communication in DE/FR is possible, availability of at least 2 half-days per week. Exclusion criteria are: no childcare can be organized, working poor (80-100% employed), in education with no other capacity, severe health limitations (physical and/or psychological). No exclusion criteria are: Working on call, mild health limitations.

10-12 people will participate in each implementation group. Three groups will be conducted in parallel. The program will be conducted either in German or in French.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kessler, Dorian and Simon Steger. 2022. ""Fokus Arbeit" (Focus on Work)." AEA RCT Registry. March 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9085-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Recipients of social assistance will attend group workshops led by coaches for two to three half-days each over a period of four to six weeks. A total of 12 half-days are required for the implementation of the program. In the workshops, the participants will develop vocational integration plans, which they can pursue independently during the rest of the week. 10-12 people will participate in each implementation. Three groups will be conducted in parallel. The program will be conducted either in German or in French. The modules introduction (1st half day) and conclusion (12th half day) are set, but the remaining modules can vary in time and content.

The program includes the following modules according to the detailed concept:

Introduction: "Arriving".
"Where am I today?
"Staying flexible"
"Where am I going?"
further modules not yet defined (e.g. health, autonomy)
Conclusion: "And now - where is the journey going?"

Intervention Start Date
2022-03-21
Intervention End Date
2022-04-29

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
vitality (item average), mastery (item average), career prospects (item average), social support (item average), labor market participation, social assistance receipt, earnings, reintegration tempo
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Vitality How have you felt in the last 4 weeks?
- Alive
- Full of energy
- Exhausted
- Tired
1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = always

Outcome will be contructed by taking the average score of the four items.

Mastery How bad are the problems in your life?
- I can solve all my problems.
- I have control over what happens to me in life.
- My problems often become too much for me.
- I sometimes feel powerless in life
1 = not at all true, 2 = not so true, 3 = partly true, 4 = fairly true, 5 = exactly true

Outcome will be contructed by taking the average score of the four items.

Career prospects How do you see your future in your career?
- I think I will find a job soon.
- I have goals for the job and I am getting closer to the goals.
- I have certain things planned so I can find work.
- I know what can help me in my career.
1 = not at all true, 2 = not so true, 3 = partially true, 4 = fairly true, 5 = exactly true.
Outcome will be contructed by taking the average score of the four items.

Social support You are looking for work. Are there people you can talk to about this?
There are people who are
- are interested in it.
- Sometimes I want to talk about it. Then there are people who listen to me.
- Sometimes it weighs on me that I can't find a job. Then I have people who are there for me.
1 = not at all true, 2 = not so true, 3 = partly true, 4 = quite true, 5 = exactly true.
How many people can help you find a job?
1 = nobody, 2 = 1 to 2 people, 3 = 3 to 5 people, 4 = more than 5 people
Outcome will be contructed by taking the average score of the three items.

Employment and welfare status
Employment status (six months after program end):
1: Employed, 2: Unemployed, in employment and integration offer BI, 3: Unemployed, in employment and integration offer BIP, 4: Unemployed, in employment and integration offer SI, 5: Unemployed, without employment and integration offer.
Social assistance status (six months after program end):
Net expenditure on economic assistance

[Note: different dichotomous variables (0/1) are formed for the analysis].

Earnings
Earned income (from employment/self-employment) six months after program end

Reintegration tempo
- Number of days between the end of the program and the start of an employment and integration offer
- Number of days between the end of the program and the start of employment

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
A total of up to 2640 study participants are expected, of which one in ten are assigned to the control group. The program will target individuals who meet all inclusion criteria without meeting any of the exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria are: Age of majority (18+ years), simple oral communication in DE/FR is possible, availability of at least 2 half-days per week. Exclusion criteria are: no childcare can be organized, working poor (80-100% employed), in education with no other capacity, severe health limitations (physical and/or psychological). No exclusion criteria are: Working on call, mild health limitations.

Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is achieved by assigning every 10th individual willing to participate in the study to the control group. Individuals willing to participate in the study are ordered by date of registration.
Randomization Unit
Randomization is done at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Treatment will be delivered in ~ 250 groups of a total of ~ 2400 individuals.
Sample size: planned number of observations
A total of up to 2640 study participants are expected, of which one in ten are assigned to the control group.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
There is only one treatment arm (intervention).
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials