# **V. Sample Statistics and Baseline Randomization**

The baseline and endline survey instruments collected detailed information on demographic characteristics, education, participation in skills training courses, labor market status and experience, earnings, health status, saving behavior, household characteristics, cognitive skills, and personality traits. Some of these variables are not strictly comparable because of the differences in the designs of the baseline and the endline survey instruments, particularly with regard to the labor market variables.<sup>8</sup> Therefore, a pure comparison of mean variables between before and after the intervention is not possible because of the different collection methods and definitions used in the baseline and endline surveys.

Table 5b reports basic descriptive statistics of demographic characteristics and main outcomes of interest before and after the program for both Nairobi and Mombasa. Labor market variables included whether the person was currently employed, the average number of hours the person worked per day, whether the person had a written contract, whether the person had a “formal” job (defined as receiving social security benefits), whether the person had been actively searching for a salaried job in the previous month, the person’s willingness to start working, and his or her monthly labor market earnings. The employed were defined as those who reported having worked in the previous seven days for at least an hour for a wage, a salary (either in cash or in kind), or for family gain.<sup>9</sup> Among those who were employed, we distinguished between wage workers (those who worked for somebody who was not a member of their own household) and the self‐employed based on their reported main activity. The self‐employed included those who worked for at least an hour in a household enterprise or farm or on their own business or farm and occasional workers working on their own’ for example, selling goods in the street or washing cars.

We also distinguished between earnings from wage employment (defined as earnings net of payroll taxes and social security contributions if any) and from self‐employment. Indicators on the average number of hours worked per day and per week and on whether the individual worked for more than 20 hours per week were based on the number of hours that they worked in different occupations (if more than one). All indicators of hours worked and earnings included zeros for those not working.

Women represent about 40 percent of the sample. The average age in the sample before starting the program was 24 years old. More than 20 percent of the sample had children (on average one or two children) and lived on their own (not with their parents). Interestingly, 10 percent of the sample in Nairobi got married in the year between the baseline and endline survey, and 10 percent more youths reported having had children by the endline survey. The prevalent religion was Protestant, though one‐third of the Mombasa sample was Muslim.

Overall, the program reached mostly tertiary dropouts rather than secondary dropouts. About 53 percent of candidates had some tertiary education (they had either started or completed college and/or university), while 29 percent of the sample had completed secondary school and 18 percent 8 The questions related to the number of hours worked and earnings in the baseline survey referred to both current work and/or past work. Indicators were set equal to zero in the baseline survey for those who did not work in the previous seven days (current employment). In addition, the baseline survey only asked about the average number of hours worked per day.

9The module on labor participation in the endline survey differed from the baseline survey in terms of structure and how questions were phrased, and as a consequence the pre‐program and post‐program variables are not fully comparable.

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