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Public works

Public works may reduce unemployment in periods of labour market distress, though impacts appear context-specific and warrant cautious interpretation.

Last updated: 26 August 2026

Education

Employment

Training

The difference made to recent employment is unknown. However, it public works may reduce unemployment in specific contexts.

Key findings

Headline insights about this component based on current high-quality evidence

Emerging insights

Reducing unemployment

Studies of ‘public works’ evaluate the likelihood of unemployment rather than of employment. The evidence suggests they are likely to have a moderate positive impact on unemployment reduction in specific contexts.

Public works are a form of demand-side intervention which increases demand for young people in the labour market. At times of poor economic performance, existing employers may be reluctant to take on new employees, and conditions are not likely to be conducive for young people to start their own business.

Work quality

Public works may have a small impact on wages, but is not likely to impact length of employment.

Case study

Job creation schemes in Ireland

Around 30, 000 people per year have participated in Tús since 2011, making it the highest ALMP for the country in terms of participant numbers. It focuses on direct job-creation, and offers guidance and support from supervisors.

Tús (community work placement initiative) is a flagship direct job creation scheme in Irealnd, targeted to long-term unemployed people. Individuals work for 19.5 hours per week in a range of jobs across the community and voluntary sector organisations (for example, as caretakers or cleaners). Placements with partners are managed by implementing bodies with approval from DSP and are limited to a single year.

What are public works?

Government-initiated employment schemes aimed at providing temporary employment through infrastructure development, maintenance, and other community service projects.

Typically public works

employ young people directly, rather than offering incentives for employers across the private and public sectors

are considered a solution or ‘safety net’ in times of crises when there is not enough labour demand, creating a temporary additional demand

invest in infrastructure, but may also be used for conservation work or social care

include some skills training as well as on-the-job training and experience

Who are public works for?

Highly marginalised groups who have limited access to other forms of work experience or employment.

Who can offer public works?

Central and local governments

How long are public works?

Public works provide short-term employment and generally last several months. Duration varies depending on context.

How are public works funded?

Public works are publicly funded. Employees are typically paid a low wage, often the minimum wage or below.

Programmes requires a government committed to a counter-cyclical spending pattern.

Benefits for young people

At times of economic hardship, public works can support young people:

gain an income
access work experience

Benefits for employers

Governments and public services may:

benefit from outputs of the work undertaken
see an increase economic activity of those who may otherwise be unemployed or economically inactive

The cost rating for public works is highhigh

Calculations are based on insights from available high-quality studies on the complexity of delivery requirements and estimated associated costs.

Outreach and recruitment activity

Tailored and varied with associated staffing, materials, scheduling and administrative costs. Delivery to young people with complex needs or vulnerabilities may require a more targeted approach to recruitment.

Delivery intensity

Most public works last several months and need alignment with other delivery streams (e.g. infrastructure projects)

Delivery partners

High degree of co-ordination needed supported by programme planning and management, requiring additional admin resource. In some schemes, placements are managed via implementing bodies and delivered by community and third sector partners.

Delivery expertise

Delivery to young people with complex needs or vulnerabilities may require a more targeted approach to recruitment and more specialist and personalised delivery. These can increase the costs of public works for some populations.

Wages, financial assistance or incentives

Recruitment costs, wages for young people, and provision for programme administration and management staff where appropriate

Delivery settings

Varied, across public sector services and projects, or in community and third sector

Outreach and recruitment activity	Tailored and varied with associated staffing, materials, scheduling and administrative costs. Delivery to young people with complex needs or vulnerabilities may require a more targeted approach to recruitment.
Delivery intensity	Most public works last several months and need alignment with other delivery streams (e.g. infrastructure projects)
Delivery partners	High degree of co-ordination needed supported by programme planning and management, requiring additional admin resource. In some schemes, placements are managed via implementing bodies and delivered by community and third sector partners.
Delivery expertise	Delivery to young people with complex needs or vulnerabilities may require a more targeted approach to recruitment and more specialist and personalised delivery. These can increase the costs of public works for some populations.
Wages, financial assistance or incentives	Recruitment costs, wages for young people, and provision for programme administration and management staff where appropriate
Delivery settings	Varied, across public sector services and projects, or in community and third sector

Considerations for decision makers

Based on existing evidence, we’ve identified some common features that support the commissioning, design and delivery of effective youth employment programmes:

Ensure outreach and awareness activities are effective and targeted to reach those most likely to benefit

Read more about Ensure outreach and awareness activities are effective and targeted to reach those most likely to benefit

Design, fund and deliver outreach and recruitment activities that raise young people’s awareness, with targeted initiatives to reach under-represented group who are most likely to benefit.

This might include:

Young people who have been out of work and/or learning for longer periods.
Young people without Level 2 qualifications.
Young people whose life experiences put them at higher risk of marginalisation in the labour market, for example those with experience of the care system and/or with SEN.

Discover more about risk factors associated with being NEET.

Effective programmes may use direct community outreach activities for engaging under-served groups, alongside up-to-date local and administrative data, working with public employment services, or advertising vacancies along with eligibility criteria.

Tailor and structure programmes to support access and maintain engagement

Read more about Tailor and structure programmes to support access and maintain engagement

Design, fund and deliver programmes that ensure participants have appropriate support and guidance to thrive in work and learn about the workplace.

This might involve guiding or training supervisors at work to support young people, or engaging with other organisations to make sure support is provided.

Specific advice on how to progress to competitive job opportunities can also be offered.

Ensure programme duration is sufficient

Read more about Ensure programme duration is sufficient

Jobs should last for a sufficient length of time and offer enough hours for young people to gain a good understanding of the labour market and build useful work experience that they can transfer to other roles.

Understand more about recommended lengths in our mixed methods review of youth employment interventions.

Take a joined-up, collaborative approach

Read more about Take a joined-up, collaborative approach

A strong relationship between policymakers, learning providers, employers, community organisations and local skills delivery organisations including Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Local Skills Improvement Plan areas supports effective youth employment support programmes.

Encourage systematic monitoring and evaluation to help build and strengthen the evidence base

Read more about Encourage systematic monitoring and evaluation to help build and strengthen the evidence base

Support providers and delivery organisations to accurately and systematically capture and communicate data and milestones and track programme outcomes. This may include structured and standardised tracking forms, or developing realistic programme-specific performance frameworks.

For funders and commissioners – ensure recorded data, reporting and assessment captures a full range of appropriate and relevant youth employment and related outcomes to help rich understanding to ensure rich picture of what programmes do.

Encouraging reporting commonly recognised metrics allows evaluation to be easily comparable and included in the growing evidence base.

About the evidence

What’s included in the analysis?

Read more about What’s included in the analysis?

Included studies	7
Location(s)	High-income countries
Outcome	Unemployment
Comparator	'Services as usual' / Business as usual

The Youth Employment Toolkit brings together evidence from robust studies in high-income countries that:

measured the intervention’s impact against what would have happened without it
defined public works as a component of a targeted intervention to support youth employment outcomes

Find details of individual studies, as well as other systematic reviews of youth employment evaluations, in the Youth Employment Evidence and Gap Map.

More information about included studies can be found in page 55-60 of the full CNMA report. The specific evidence profile for public works can be found on page 222.

The evidence strength ratings for public works reflect the comparatively smaller number of studies included in the meta-analysis. Studies were scored on reported design, sample size, approach to attrition, and definitions of interventions and outcome measures. More detail can be found in the technical guide.

Limitations

Implications for evaluators and commissioners

Read more about Implications for evaluators and commissioners

The current evidence can be strengthened by taking a consistent approach to incorporating standardised metrics for education, employment and training outcomes as well as outcomes that indicate work quality.

Public works