One study found that only 61 percent of persons who left the welfare rolls in 1996 and 1997 were employed at the time they were surveyed. Fourteen percent were not working but had an employed spouse or partner. Given these facts, it is not surprising that the poorest cohorts of single-mother families have been growing poorer since welfare reform was enacted, despite the booming economy. Second, even if welfare reform is deemed a success under current economic conditions, it may not work when the economy is in recession or if unemployment rates rise above current levels. Both of these concerns point to the same question.
Conservatives assume that there are.
These are the questions that people should want answered, regardless of their political leanings, before deciding what kind of public assistance programs should be offered. Knowing the answers to these questions wouldn't settle all disagreements, but it would increase the likelihood that reforms would be designed for the real world rather than an imaginary one. Other countries do collect and report job vacancy data. In some, like Japan and Sweden, employers are required by law to list job vacancies with public employment services. The purpose of this requirement is to improve labor market efficiency by making it easier for employers to find appropriate job candidates and for job seekers to find appropriate job openings.