Employment Data Lab: Reflections on the first two years

ObjectivesShortly after rollout, the Employment Data Lab was showcased at the 2023 ADR conference. We have now gathered two years of practical experience of linking charity and third-party data with Government datasets to conduct evaluations. We will share our reflections from the first ten projects: both good and bad. MethodThe Employment Data Lab was developed to evaluate local employment programmes run by charities and local authorities. The Data Lab’s unique position, with access to a plethora of administrative datasets, allows impact evaluations of local programmes efficiently and securely. Data lab analysts use the statistical technique of propensity score matching to create a realistic, counterfactual comparison group. They then compare the treatment group of participants with the constructed comparison group to accurately evaluate employment programmes. ResultsWe will present an overview of ten completed evaluations, reflecting on using linked administrative datasets in the Employment Data Lab. The Data Lab began with just Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) administrative datasets. Overtime the service has been extended to