Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The DSS/PSI Programme of Research into Improving Employment Opportunities was a study of the Earnings Top-Up (ETU) scheme for low-paid workers. The national surveys that made up the programme were carried out by the Social Security Research Team at the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) and the work was funded by the Department of Social Security (now the Department for Work and Pensions). The ETU study series began in 1996 with a survey of low-paid workers and unemployed people, in order to identify take–up of the ETU scheme. This continued over three years in a series of follow-up studies. Some of these were longitudinal or 'cohort' studies, re-interviewing 1996 respondents. Others were repeat cross-section studies asking similar questions of new nationally representative samples (see 'Diagram A - ETU Evaluation Surveys in the User Guide for full details of the respective datasets and how they relate to each other). Surveys of employers were also conducted, in 1996 and 1997. Those employers who responded to both of these surveys were re-interviewed in 1999.Main Topics:The 1996-1999 surveys of low-paid workers and unemployed people covered the following topics: household composition; demographic characteristics, including age, marital status, gender and ethnic groups; employment, unemployment, self-employment and employment history; health, illness and disabilities affecting work; household income; household budgets, financial resources and debt; social welfare benefits claimed and received, including ETU; job hunting, job applications and methods of finding work. The self-completion questionnaires covered life and work skills, attitudes to social welfare benefits, life satisfaction and self-esteem. The employers' surveys of 1996, 1997 and 1999 covered: recruitment practices; wage negotiations; numbers and types of employees (unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled); bonus payments and...