Key Finding

Employment

Guaranteed income recipients leveraged the $500 to find full-time employment.

In February 2019, 28% of recipients had full-time employment. One year later, 40% of recipients were employed full-time.
In contrast, the control group saw only a 5% increase in full-time employment over the same one- year period -- 32% of those in the control group were employed full-time in February 2019; one year later, 37% of control group participants were employed full-time.

Guaranteed income enabled shifts in employment by giving recipients the emotional and financial capacity for risk taking.

The $500 removed material barriers to full time employment and created capacity for goal setting and risk taking, once basic needs like food and utilities were covered.

Cash enabled recipients who perform carework, primarily women and women of color, to receive compensation for what is typically unpaid or underpaid in the formal economy.

I think one thing is definitely risk. You can take so much risk. I - there was a time, I - the only reason I believe I got the internship was because of me taking the risk of not - of having to quit a job before and knowing that I have that money. I could sustain myself until this new opportunity came around, and I was able to take it. It was because I kept having to pursue it in the mornings, or I would have to be at work in the mornings. And, if it wasn’t for that money that was like coming in without me really doing anything, I don’t think I would have been able to get the internship.

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