Welfare to work propensities: administrative record evidence

The study examines the role of home-to-new-job-hub distance on employment propensity using a unique data set compiled from integrated micro-level administrative records of work-eligible welfare recipients and earnings. Our empirical findings confirm the spatial mismatch hypothesis. Our home-to-new-job-hub distance measure is an innovative weighted measure incorporating both abundance of actual employment opportunities and geographic distance. Other unique contributions of this study include using point-to-point residence and job hub locational information, modelling with community controls and industry-specific analysis. This study also identifies policy implications in advancing employment prospects of inner-city residents receiving government assistance.