8/2/99: Second Annual Report to the President on the Federal Welfare-to-Work Initiative

8/2/99: Vice Presidential Press Release

8/3/99: President Clinton's Remarks on Welfare Reform

The White House's Welfare Reform Page

OPM's Welfare-to-Work Page

Department of Labor's Welfare-to-Work Page

Small Business Administration's Welfare-to-Work Tool Kit

Welfare to Work at SBA

Welfare-to-Work Partnership

The Federal Welfare-to-Work Hiring Initiative

In March 1997, the federal government committed to hiring 10,000 welfare recipients by the year 2000. Under the Vice President's leadership, as of February 22, 2000, the federal government has achieved 165 percent of that goal. Agencies have hired more than 17,500 people off the welfare rolls. Further, new data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management show that federal Welfare-to-Work hires are not only getting off welfare, but they are staying off and succeeding in their new jobs.

"More and more people are moving from welfare to work, and I'm proud the federal government is doing its part," Vice President Gore said. "And I'm particularly pleased that nearly 70 percent of federal Welfare-to-Work hires were still on board with us after one year – a far higher retention rate than for other federal employees. Clearly, welfare to work can pay off for both employers and employees."

Vice President Gore's Second Annual Report to the President on the Federal Welfare-to-Work Hiring Initiative highlights strategies that agencies use to recruit and retain their federal Welfare-to-Work hires. Retention strategies include: on-the-job training, mentoring programs, counseling services, health benefits, assistance with transportation and child care, flexible work schedules, and information on supports for working families such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.