Median Earnings Q2

Median Earnings – 2nd Quarter After Exit is the median earnings of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after exit from the program, as established through direct UI wage record match, Federal or military employment records, or supplemental wage information.

Methodology:
To calculate the median earnings for all participants employed in the second quarter after exit from any of the core programs, including the title I Youth program:

Total quarterly earnings, for all participants employed in the second quarter after exit, are collected by either direct wage record match or supplemental wage information. The collected quarterly wage information values are listed in order, from the lowest to the highest value. The value in the middle of this list is the median earnings value, where there is the same quantity of numbers above the median number as there is below the median number. This is described in Attachment 10, Figure 5.

The Wage Conversion Chart (Attachment 3) is used to convert supplemental wage information values that do not represent the total amount a participant earned in the second quarter after exit. When using the Wage Conversion Chart it is important to distinguish between wage and earnings. Wage is a ratio of earnings over a specific period of time. The Wage Conversion Chart should be used only when the wage rate—and not the earnings information—is available.

Operational Parameters:
The following participants and any associated earnings figures are excluded from the calculation for median earnings:

1. Participants who have exited and are not employed in the second quarter after exit (PIRL 1602 – Employed in 2nd Quarter After Exit Quarter – with code value 0)

2. Participants who have exited a program and for whom earnings information is not yet available

There is a two quarter lag built into the reporting times for the wage- and employment-based indicators to allow time for reporting participant exit and conducting direct wage record match. After two quarters, if the information is still not available, wages will be converted to $0 permanently. Wages reported as $0 will indicate that the participant was not employed in the second quarter after exit, thereby counting as a negative outcome in the Employment Rate 2nd Quarter After Exit indicator and excluding that participant from the Median Earnings 2nd Quarter After Exit indicator.

There is a two quarter lag built into the reporting times for the wage- and employment-based indicators to allow time for reporting participant exit and conducting direct wage record match. After two quarters, if the information is still not available, wages will be converted to $0 permanently. Wages reported as $0 will indicate that the participant was not employed in the second quarter after exit, thereby counting as a negative outcome in the Employment Rate 2nd Quarter After Exit indicator and excluding that participant from the Median Earnings 2nd Quarter After Exit indicator.

3. Participants who have exited from a program and who have $0 income. For purposes of the VR program, these participants would include unpaid family workers and homemakers.
4. Participants who have exited a program and are in subsidized employment.
5. Participants who have exited for any of the reasons listed in Attachment 2, Tables A through C.