DSS/PSI Study of Improving Work Opportunities, 1996-1999

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).<br> <br> 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).<br> <br> Surveys of employers were also conducted, in 1996 and 1997. Those employers who responded to both of these surveys were re-interviewed in 1999.<br>