Helping people back to work in a different job, when they can't return to a job with their usual employer, is a key part of occupational rehabilitation.

It can be hard finding a suitable job at the best of times. If an individual is feeling down, has physical limitations, has been out of work for some time, or needs to start looking for jobs outside his or her usual field, the degree of difficulty is higher. The obstacles can seem insurmountable.

What kinds of support make this process easier?

This study from Taiwan looks at whether a job coach made a difference for job seekers enrolled in a community-based employment service.

The job coaching included:

• Guidance;
• Intensive guidance;
• Consultation before interviews; and
• Follow-up discussion after interviews.

After factoring in differences in the individual characteristics of those looking for work, the study found when a job coach was used there was

• close to 30% more working months achieved; and
• the salary for the person was 20% more

than if there was no access to a job coach.

The people in this study may have different disabilities from those commonly seen in Australia. Nevertheless, it provides solid evidence that a job coach can make a difference. 
 

Authors

Yun-Tung W.

Authors Full Name

Yun-Tung, Wang.

Institution

Department of Social Work, National Taiwan University, 1 Sec. 4 Roosevelt Road, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. ytwang@ntu.edu.tw

Title

Job coach factors associated with community-based employment service programme outcome measures for people with disabilities--a Taiwan case study.

Source

Disability & Rehabilitation. 32(19):1547-57, 2010.

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to explore whether/which job coach factors were significantly associated with the community-based employment service (CBES) programme outcome measures in Taiwan.

METHOD: This study used the 2003-2005 CBES programme for People with Disabilities Database in Taipei City in Taiwan (n = 3924) to do a secondary data analysis using hierarchical multiple linear regression.

RESULTS: This study found that 'occurrences of the services provided by the job coaches' variable was definitely the dominant predictor and explained additional 19.6% and 27.8% of the variances of annual salary and annual working month outcome measures, respectively. In addition, among six composition variables of 'occurrences of the services provided by the job coaches', 'occurrences of follow-up guidance', 'occurrences of intensive guidance', and 'occurrences of consultation before interviews with employer/director of human resources' were more powerful than the other three in predicting outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: Job coach factors in this study were significantly correlated with CBES programme outcome measures for people with disabilities in Taiwan after controlling for the socio-demographic variables. It indicates that the more inputs in the people with disabilities made by job coaches equates to better outcomes in this Taiwan case study.

PubMed Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662546