Is job tenure brief in individual placement and support (IPS) employment programs?

The individual placement and support (IPS) model has helped clients with severe mental illness obtain competitive jobs, but questions have been raised whether job tenure is brief. This study examined job tenure over 24 months among clients of high-fidelity IPS enrolled between November 2005 and June 2007.

Monthly data about job tenure were collected for 82 clients upon beginning competitive employment (prospective sample) and from 60 clients who had begun competitive employment in the preceding six months (retrospective sample).

The 142 clients worked a mean of 12.86 months overall and 9.96 months at their first job; compared with the prospective sample, the retrospective sample worked for more months (13.69 versus 11.02; p<.05) and worked more months at the first job (12.63 versus 8.01; p<.01).

Job tenure among employed clients of high-fidelity IPS was twice as long as previously reported, and about 40% became steady workers over two years.