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Reports

12 Nov 2025

Costs and benefits of tailored job support programs, Paul Ramsay Foundation

This research demonstrates the costs and benefits of tailored employment support programs for people facing complex barriers to work, providing evidence and tools to help funders and organisations make effective investments in job-seeker programs. This report from 2024 aims to collate and strengthen existing evidence of ’what works’ in which contexts, while establishing an evidence base for the type and level of resourcing needed to achieve more enduring outcomes for those facing complex barriers to work.

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Summary

This report covers:

  • Which employment support models and interventions work best in different contexts for people facing complex barriers to work.
  • The common features of effective programs (responsive to need, connected across systems, continuous support, integrated work/learning, employer connections).
  • How public funding currently flows to different types of transition-to-work support programs.
  • The economic and social benefits of sustained employment for individuals, families, communities, and governments.
  • The actual costs of delivering tailored employment programs (ranging from $6,100 to $83,300 per outcome).
  • What drives cost variations across programs (participant numbers, outcomes rates, support comprehensiveness, duration, geography).
  • How to use the included cost collection tool to calculate and track your own program costs over time.
  • Why collecting data over an extended period of time is critical for understanding true return on investment in employment programs.
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